Watch: “Never serious…”- Ravichandran Ashwin exposes Hardik Pandya’s captaincy after MI vs PBKS clash in IPL 2026

Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, was nearly in tears when he walked into the post-match presentation during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash when they faced their fourth successive defeat of the campaign against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

The hosts smashed 195 runs in the first innings, thanks to the unbeaten knock of 112 runs from their opener, Quinton de Kock. But the Shreyas Iyer-led side completed the chase by seven wickets in just 16.3 overs to catch the top position of the table.

Ravichandran Ashwin exposes MI’s bowling issue

The former Indian spin all-rounder, Ravichandran Ashwin, reckoned that Mumbai were around 20 runs short in the first innings, but that 190-odd runs was acceptable had they bowled well. 

“Hardik said, ‘I don’t have much to say.’ He said it himself. I also want to see it going into the ground. But it seems like he doesn’t have many answers to this current situation. What did he say at the toss? He said that in the previous clash, they bowled four overs of 20 or more runs, which would not be acceptable. That’s right. And today, after getting 190-odd, they were 20 runs short.” Ashwin expressed on his YouTube channel.

Watch the video here: 

The veteran noted that perhaps the T20 World Cup 2026 fatigue has had a significant impact on the Hardik Pandya-led side, who lacked answers with the ball. 

“Honestly, I felt that it was never a 240-wicket, but a 210-one. Mumbai also gave the feeling that they could defend themselves. Deepak Chahar leaked 21 runs, for which Bumrah needed to follow up. He and Allah Ghazanfar brought them back in the encounter, but in the ninth or tenth over, they got themselves out of the game.” The Chennai-born informed.

See Also: Watch: Shreyas Iyer smashes Jasprit Bumrah for stunning six during MI vs PBKS clash in IPL 2026

“They tried with both Trent Boult and Shardul Thakur. But nothing worked. Mitchell Santner hasn’t done well. I believe that the fatigue from the T20 World Cup has taken its toll on the Mumbai Indians side. Because there are so many issues in the bowling department. They have no answer with the ball.” He added.

Hardik Pandya to make difficult calls from next IPL 2026 games

Bumrah has now gone wicketless for five successive clashes of the IPL 2026 as he was smashed for 0/41 in four overs against PBKS. Meanwhile, Chahar was clubbed for 0/45 in 2.3 overs. The same issue appeared with Shardul, who leaked 42 runs in three overs for the loss of one wicket.

In the batting, Ryan Rickelton has struggled in the last few games. Suryakumar Yadav returned for the golden duck. Hardik claimed that they would make a few tough calls before their next fixture against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on April 20.