In the ongoing IPL 2026 season, Hardik Pandya, captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI), is facing intense scrutiny following a disappointing performance against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). MI has won only two out of their first seven matches, raising questions about Pandya's captaincy and overall performance. Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin criticized Pandya's decision to invite CSK to bat first, noting that this choice mirrored a previous mistake against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Ashwin emphasized that both matches were played on the same pitch, where MI struggled to chase targets, leading to a collapse against CSK, where they were bowled out for just 104 runs. Ashwin pointed out that teams should generally be made to bat second against high-scoring opponents like CSK. Furthermore, he expressed concern over Pandya's decision to hand the final over to rookie Krish Bhagat instead of taking responsibility himself. Ashwin suggested that the pressure of captaincy and the context of replacing legendary captain Rohit Sharma may be affecting Pandya's performance, as he faces backlash from fans in his own stadium.