IPL 2026: Why Kris Srikkanth calls Hardik Pandya a “Plastic Captain”?

Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth heavily criticised Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, labelling him a "plastic captain." Questioning Hardik's batting intent, he asked what mindset the captain had adopted when he walked out to bat against CSK. Hardik came in to bat at No. 6 following the dismissal of Tilak Varma; at that juncture—after 13 overs—MI's score stood at 109/4, with Naman Dhir having already completed his half-century and poised to provide the team with a strong finish. 

However, Hardik appeared to struggle during his innings, managing to score only 18 runs off 23 deliveries. Meanwhile, at the other end, both Naman Dhir (57 off 37) and Robin Minz returned to the pavilion, preventing MI from executing the desired big finish. Hardik continued to struggle throughout his entire innings, managing to hit only two boundaries. Consequently, MI could add only 50 runs in their final 7 overs, reaching a total of just 159/7 in 20 overs—a target that CSK successfully chased down in 18.1 overs with the loss of only two wickets.

Hardik played a total of 10 balls throughout the innings, which left Srikanth completely shocked. On his YouTube channel, Kris Srikkanth asked what Hardik ultimately intended to do during his innings. His game awareness and calculations during the match were unclear.

"Look at the numbers — 18 runs off 23 balls. What is this? He is a plastic captain."

"Look at that partnership — what was the intent? What was Hardik Pandya trying to do? If you check the number of dot balls in the middle overs, it’s clear there was no proper calculation or game awareness. The run-rate dropped very drastically during that phase," said Srikkanth.

"From around the 6th or 7th over, they started at about 9 runs per over, but then it went down — 7, 7, one over of 13, then 10, then 6. After that, 5, 4, 3, 7, 4, that’s where they lost it completely between overs 12 to 16. Even towards the end, it was just 7 runs and 4 runs while Hardik was still batting." 

Throughout IPL 2026, Hardik's form has been a concern for the Mumbai Indians. He is considered one of the greatest finishers in the modern era; however, in this season, his batting strike rate is 136.45, which is not suited to his batting style. Mumbai Indians are already facing problems in the middle-order due to the form of famous batsmen like Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, and Hardik Pandya's out-of-form is adding to the team's problems. The same problem was exposed against CSK as well, when the team was unable to finish off good starts. CSK's bowlers came prepared against Hardik, having done their homework, and they didn't give him any chance to open his hands, especially Jamie Overton. Srikanth admitted that every team now comes prepared against Hardik. Bowlers target Hardik's body instead of bowling him in the slot.

"They won't bowl in the slot again. They will lock him down. They knew if they bowl length, he will smash them. So, they won't bowl there," said Srikkanth. 

The defeat against CSK marks MI's seventh loss of the season. The team has managed to win only two out of nine matches and currently sits in the ninth spot on the points table. In their next match, Hardik Pandya's team will face Rishabh Pant's Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium on May 4. LSG currently occupies the 10th and final position on the points table, with 4 points.