Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has slammed Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya following their defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in an IPL 2026 encounter in Mumbai on Thursday.
Ashwin questioned why Hardik Pandya asked Chennai Super Kings to bat first, and noted that MI had taken a similar decision in their match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
In that match, RCB went on to post 240/4 from 20 overs and MI eventually lost the match by 18 runs.
In Thursday’s match, CSK rode on Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 101 from 54 balls to post 207/6 on the board. Mumbai Indians were all out for 104 in 19 overs in their reply.
Ravichandran Ashwin underwhelmed with Hardik Pandya
“I am slightly underwhelmed. Hardik Pandya won the toss and handed the advantage to a team that has only won matches in this tournament by batting first. Do you remember the first game the Mumbai Indians played? They lost in a similar fashion against RCB.
In that game, RCB batted first and did what Chennai couldn’t quite manage today because of the difference in batting depth,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat during a chat with journalist Vimal Kumar.
“RCB has significant power hitting through to the end of the order, which allowed them to post a huge score. Chennai doesn’t have quite that much power, and Mumbai actually bowled slightly better today; Allah Ghazanfar and Ashwani Kumar performed well, and, of course, we can’t forget Bumrah. That is why they conceded 208, but Mumbai still couldn’t chase it down,” the former CSK star added.
Ashwin was of the opinion that MI should ask opponents to chase if they win the toss in matches against high-scoring teams.
“The pitch for that game and this game was exactly the same. Even then, Mumbai Indians failed to find any momentum; in the second innings, the surface became even stickier and slower.
“If you learn from the conditions, you realise that by winning the toss and bowling, you gave the advantage back to the CSK line-up. As I said, if you win the toss against SRH or CSK and there is no dew, you must make them bat second,” suggested the 39-year-old.
R Ashwin on Hardik Pandya’s captaincy backlash
Ashwin also spoke on the backlash that Hardik Pandya received after he was appointed the Mumbai Indians captain ahead of IPL 2024, replacing Mumbai Indians. Hardik Pandya often received boos from his supporters during toss, as the fans had opposed the decision to move on from Rohit Sharma as captain.
MI finished in 10th place in IPL 2024, and were knocked out in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2025 after they lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS).
“Let’s look back. In 2020, the Mumbai Indians won the IPL and were the best team. Then they went two years without a title. Hardik Pandya then went to the Gujarat Titans, where he won one title and finished as runner-up in another. Clearly, this man knows how to win; it isn’t new to him.
“But we must consider what happened after he returned to Mumbai via a trade. It isn’t just about results; it is a lot for one individual to handle. To come in and replace Rohit Sharma, a legend of the game, and then get booed by your own fans in your own stadium… that is an immense emotional burden. I won’t point fingers at the fans, but that is a great deal to deal with,” explained the former Tamil Nadu all-rounder.
He also questioned the decision to ask newbie Krish Bhagat to bowl the final over of the CSK innings. Hardik himself had two overs remaining.
“Look, I don’t have a personal relationship with Hardik, but I have always viewed him as a ‘Box Office’ player. It is easy to pick on him now. Regarding today, giving the ball to Krish Bhagat at the death-I know he went for 28 or 38 runs in his two overs-but a man who bowled to David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen in a T20 World Cup final should be bowling those overs himself.
“Krish Bhagat lacks that experience. I liked Krish; he bowled okay, but as a captain, you should shoulder that pressure. What is the worst that can happen? You go for runs? So be it,” he added.
Mumbai Indians will look to return to winning ways when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at home on 29 April.
