Efforts were made to give everything to Hardik to lead the team but…statement from Mumbai Indians regarding captaincy.

New Delhi. Before the start of the Indian Premier League 2026, the Mumbai Indians team, which was considered a contender to win the trophy, could not even make it to the playoffs. The team’s performance this season was very disappointing. Mumbai finished ninth in the points table and could score only eight points with only four wins. Mumbai Indians lost by 30 runs while chasing the target of 206 runs against Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday evening.

After the poor performance of Mumbai Indians, questions started being raised on the captaincy of Hardik Pandya. The team lost 10 out of 14 matches. Batting coach Kieron Pollard spoke to the media at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. He admitted that Hardik Pandya’s captaincy was not as per expectations. Pollard said, “From a leadership perspective, this season for Hardik was not what he himself wanted.”

He further said, “Maybe it was not what we wanted as a management. One thing you should know is that we tried to give him every opportunity to captain the franchise and perform well.”

Pollard further said, “No one will sit here and blame anyone. When you lose, you have to look at it from a collective perspective. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I will not question certain things. He (Pandya) was trying, we were all trying, but things did not work out for us. You sit, talk, see what is better. Never know what is going to happen. For us, at this time we have to heal our wounds.” Take care and hopefully bounce back stronger in the next 12 months.”

Will Pandya be removed from the captaincy of Mumbai Indians?

The batting coach said that the franchise will introspect after finishing ninth this season. Last year the team was in third place. He stressed that any change will not be made hastily, but thoughtfully. Pollard said that Mumbai Indians will not be in a hurry to make any changes. It is believed that after the team’s ninth position, it is necessary to reconsider some aspects. In 2025 the team was in third place.

Pollard said, “Right now is not the right time and place to talk about this. It is important to take emotional decisions on all these things and think over every aspect. Everyone needs time and space to sit and think, to properly assess what went wrong for us. From here, better decisions can be taken. If you sit now and say that this has to be done, then it will be irresponsible from the management point of view.”