Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard has stopped just short of questioning Hardik Pandya’s captaincy after yet another disappointing season for the franchise in the Indian Premier League. Mumbai Indians finished ninth in the points table this season, marking the second time in three years that the team ended in the bottom two under Hardik’s leadership.
Hardik Pandya’s stint as captain has largely failed to deliver the results Mumbai Indians would have hoped for, despite the franchise boasting one of the strongest squads in the competition across all three seasons. After being booed heavily during his first season as captain in 2024, Hardik managed to steady things somewhat in 2025, but the campaign once again unravelled in 2026.
Following India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2026, Mumbai Indians were expected to benefit from their strong Indian core. Instead, the side struggled for consistency and failed to put together a sustained run of performances throughout the tournament.
A significant portion of the criticism fell on Hardik, whose tactical decisions and leadership came under scrutiny over the course of the season.
At the post-match press conference after Mumbai’s final game of the season, Pollard admitted that neither the management nor Hardik himself would have been satisfied with how the campaign unfolded.
“From a leadership perspective on Hardik, yes, it has not gone maybe as well as he would have wanted as an individual. It might not have gone as we would have wanted as a management staff. But one thing you know is that we have tried each and everything to give the best opportunity to lead the franchise to do well,” Pollard said.
