NEW DELHI: Former India player Ravichandran Ashwin questioned a key decision by Hardik Pandya during the Indian Premier League 2026, after Mumbai Indians’ loss to Chennai Super Kings.
The debate centers on Pandya asking young pacer Krish Bhagat to bowl crucial death overs, which proved costly and helped CSK finish strongly.
Bhagat bowled the 16th and 20th overs and gave away 31 runs, which attracted attention as Pandya himself still had overs left.
Ashwin felt the captain should have taken the responsibility in that moment of pressure.
“With Hardik Pandya, I don’t have any personal relationship with him, but I always feel that he is a box-office player. It is easy to say things about Hardik Pandya now, but today when he gave Krish Bhagat the final over, I admit that Pandya made 38 runs in two overs. But if a player can bowl the T20 World Cup 2024 final against David Miller, he can also play this, right?” Ashwin said.
He added: “Krish Bhagat doesn’t have much experience, I like the way he bowled, he didn’t bowl that badly, but Pandya can handle that pressure. What’s the worst that can happen?”
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Concerns about pressure and shape.
Ashwin also pointed out that Pandya could still be dealing with pressure from the Mumbai Indian leaders after replacing Rohit Sharma.
“What happened to Hardik Pandya after coming to MI after the trade was too much for one individual to handle. You replaced a great like Rohit Sharma and were booed by your own fans in your own stadium. That’s a lot to deal with emotionally. You are only as good as your team as a captain,” he said.
Pandya’s form this season has been below par. However, coach Mahela Jayawardene backed him, saying: “To be honest, I don’t think so. It’s not a worry. It started well… overall we haven’t been consistent.”
Mumbai Indians now look ahead to their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.