MI vs CSK IPL 2026: The Mumbai Indians have won just two of their seven matches. However, Hardik Pandya has become a target for critics. He has not performed well with bat or ball. He has also been criticized for captaincy blunders. Ex-India spinner R Ashwin questioned why Pandya let the Chennai Super Kings bat first on Thursday. Ashwin said Pandya had not learned from mistakes in the match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which was at the same venue.

Ashwin spoke to fans on his YouTube channel about the MI vs RCB match held at Wankhede Stadium. On the same pitch, Hardik Pandya's team could not chase a big target of 241 runs. In their match against CSK, their batting looked even worse. They were bowled out for just 104 runs.

I am slightly underwhelmed. Hardik Pandya won the toss and gave the advantage to a team that has won matches by batting first. Do you remember the first Mumbai Indians game? They lost in the same way against RCB. In that match, RCB batted first and dominated. Chennai could not match this today because they lack depth at the top order.

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RCB has strong power hitting in their lineup, which helped them post a huge score. Chennai does not have as much power. Mumbai bowled a little better today. Allah Ghazanfar and Ashwani Kumar were impressive. Bumrah also contributed well. Mumbai conceded 208, but they still could not chase it down.

Multiple Tactical Flaws By Hardik

He said this was a tactical mistake by Hardik. Letting CSK bat first was risky, especially after seeing the foundation set by the Rajat Patidar-led side. He stressed that against a high-scoring team like Chennai or Sunrisers Hyderabad, opponents should bat second.

The pitch for both games was identical. Still, the Mumbai Indians failed to gain momentum. In the second innings, the surface became stickier and slower. Learn from the conditions: by winning the toss and bowling, you gave CSK the advantage. As I said, if you win the toss against SRH or CSK, and there is no dew, make them bat second.

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Ashwin criticized the choice to let Krish Bhagat bowl the 20th over, even though Hardik had two overs left. Bhagat gave up 16 runs in the last over.

I don't have a personal relationship with Hardik, but I always rate him as a 'Box Office' player. It is easy to criticize him now. Today, giving the ball to Krish Bhagat at the death was questionable. I know Bhagat went for 28 or 38 runs in two overs. But a man who bowled to David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen in a T20 World Cup final should bowl those overs himself. Krish Bhagat lacks experience. I liked Krish; he bowled okay. Still, as captain, you must take that responsibility. What is the worst outcome? You go for runs. So be it.

Captaincy Pressure On Hardik?

Ashwin was asked whether the pressure of captaincy affected Hardik Pandya's performance. He said the way Hardik was made captain is linked to the backlash after Rohit Sharma's replacement.

Let’s recall. In 2020, the Mumbai Indians won the IPL and were the top team. Then, they went two years without a title. Hardik Pandya moved to the Gujarat Titans, won one title, and finished runner-up in another. He knows how to win. Still, after returning to Mumbai via trade, more than results mattered. Replacing Rohit Sharma, a legend, and getting booed by your fans is a lot to handle. I won’t blame the fans, but that is a huge burden.