Even with what looked like one of the strongest squads on paper, the Mumbai Indians didn’t really live up to the hype in IPL 2026. The franchise did have quality players across every department, plenty of aggressive batters, and what a lot of people call the world’s best T20 bowler Jasprit Bumrah. With that kind of balanced lineup, plus multiple match winners in the mix, many folks went ahead and picked them as title favourites. Still, it didn’t take long for the season to feel like a full-on nightmare. Mumbai Indians couldn’t manage the pressure that usually rides along with that “favourites” tag and they dropped out of the IPL 2026 playoff race about two weeks before the league phase was even done. Things got even messier after several key players picked up injuries in the middle of the tournament, which really messed with the team’s rhythm, shape, and overall momentum. A big portion of the criticism also landed on Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya. After helping India land T20 World Cup glory , expectations for Hardik and MI were really sky-high going into IPL 2026. Still, the skipper ran into trouble quite badly and got hit with heavy criticism, for both his outings, and his captaincy choices , in a way that felt relentless. Sure, a back injury did mess with his run, but that excuse does not really erase the fact that Hardik failed to deliver when the pressure got loud. A lot of his captaincy calls were questioned, and meanwhile Mumbai Indians could manage to win only four matches out of 14 across the season, which kinda says enough. And the bad results weren’t only about the team. They also reflected on Hardik’s individual form with bat and ball. In 10 matches he made 206 runs at a strike rate around 138, plus he took just four wickets while letting runs flow at an economy rate close to 12. When the captain gets stuck, the team usually keeps moving in the same, familiar direction and honestly that s exactly what played out with Mumbai Indians this season. After Mumbai s league stage loss to the Rajasthan Royals, batting coach Kieron Pollard finally spoke up about Hardik Pandya’s captaincy future during the post match press conference. Pollard said that the side’s management would sit down and talk with Hardik before any final call, is made. Ever since Mumbai Indians lifted the IPL trophy back in 2020, there’s been a kind of slow decline. This year was the third time in five years that the franchise ended up dropping 10 matches in the IPL league stage. Interestingly Hardik Pandya was captain in two of those rough campaigns, yes, including 2024 and part of 2026. in that time he led the side through seven defeats. Even though the squad looked capable of grabbing the IPL title, Mumbai Indians kinda collapsed under his captaincy and wrapped the season second from bottom, on the points table. Also Read | Watch: Ravindra Jadeja Trolls Shardul Thakur in Hilarious Banter After No-Ball Twist in MI vs RR MI ended the whole run with four wins and 10 losses, and they gathered only eight points, finishing in ninth place, just over Lucknow Super Giants. The franchise basically gave Hardik three seasons to prove he really was the right captain, but the outcomes they have seen so far make it look like the team kept sliding down, under his leadership , somehow. The very same player who in 2022 helped Gujarat Titans lift the IPL trophy now seems low on ideas and confidence, like he s searching for answers during every match. A lot of his tactical calls , not great ones, have pulled in nonstop criticism, and since his own displays are dropping too, Mumbai Indians might now want to think about putting someone else in the captain role. This change could also allow Hardik to put his full focus back onto improving his batting and bowling, instead of splitting attention across everything at once.