IPL 2026: Hardik Pandya set to be sacked as MI captain? Here’s the update

Following the Mumbai Indians' disappointing performance in IPL 2026, Hardik Pandya could lose his captaincy. This is the second time MI has finished at the bottom of the table after the team's earnings in IPL 2024. In IPL 2026, MI won only four out of 14 matches and finished ninth with eight points.

“There were enough signs during the season that the team management wasn't keen to retain him as captain. There is a clear buzz in the camp,” a source told the Indian Express. According to them, as many as three sources confirmed to them that the all-rounder was going to lose his leadership role.”

According to a source, ever since Pandya became the captain, there has been a rift among the senior players, and they are not even following the coaching staff's instructions, which is clearly visible in the team's performance. Apart from captain Hardik Pandya, the team has star cricketers like former captain Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Santner, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Trent Boult, and Will Jacks. Still, despite all this, the team's performance has been shameful.

This team was the most experienced this year, but the team's performance was very poor. Their fans are expecting something similar from MI this time. We were expecting a performance like the one shown by Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018. At that time, most of the players in the CSK team were experienced, and everyone was calling them Daddy's Army, but CSK returned from the ban after 2 years that season and won its fourth title.

“The coaching staff was very clear in their message to the senior players that wherever they play, they need to be coachable. There were many instances where the coaching staff recommended something which was backed by data, but players didn’t follow it,” said a source.

Reports also suggest that Hardik Pandya will not only be removed from the captaincy but will also be released by the team, which means he will have to find a new team next season. The matter will become clear in the coming days.

“There will be serious introspection and discussion in the coming days. Every option would be weighed. Many questions need to be addressed. Going ahead, can Hardik be the captain? Does he stay in the team just as a player?” according to a Mumbai Indians old-timer. 

In IPL 2026, Hardik Pandya was also struggling with his individual performance. He has scored only 206 runs in 10 innings, with an average of 22.88. He couldn't even score a single fifty throughout the entire tournament. At the same time, he took only 4 wickets in 9 innings with an economy rate of 11.42.