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Will Mumbai Indians (MI) dismiss Hardik Pandya from captaincy? The long-standing question has arisen again as the team ended its IPL 2026 season with only 10 losses and 4 wins. After the last match of the season against Rajasthan Royals, MI batting coach Kieron Pollard hinted at his next move.
Pollard has made it clear that the team management will sit together to address possible things that they did wrong in the season. Hardik Pandya’s role is also expected to be investigated.
Kieron Pollard talks about his next step
Kieron Pollard directly says that the result he wanted could not be achieved due to some reasons. Last season, they finished third; Now they are in ninth place in the ten-team league. So there is clearly a lack of uniformity. Before the next season, the team management will discuss how to get the team back on the right track.
“Yes, it may not have been as good as he wanted, what we wanted, but I wouldn’t question anything at this point. Twelve months ago, we finished third. Now again, we’re ninth. These are the inconsistencies we have to address. We’ll sit and talk, lick our wounds, and hopefully come back stronger in 10 months,” Kieron Pollard told the media at the press conference.
MI is in IPL from 2022
2022: 10th
2023: lost second quarter
2024: 10th
2025: The lost second quarter
2026: 9th
Hardik Pandya himself was inconsistent
There is no doubt that Hardik Pandya was not at his best during his IPL 2026 journey. As the leader of the decorated team, the star player has drawn a lot of criticism due to some of his on-field decisions. His individual performance as a player is also not worth remembering.
The seam bowling all-rounder, who entered IPL 2026 after winning the 2026 T20 World Cup, Hardik scored only 206 runs in 10 matches in this season’s IPL at a strike rate of 138, and managed to take just 4 wickets at an economy of around 12. As Kieron Pollard mentioned, the captain’s individual performance deserves to come under scrutiny.
It is not that the team was bad. The team was actually very strong in every department and was considered the favorite to qualify for the playoffs. However, the reality is completely different, and it is hard to accept even for the Mumbai Indians team management and their fans.
MI could have easily won the match today
In today’s match, MI was in a position to win the match against Rajasthan Royals. Hardik Pandya can be the hero as he was a set batsman in the middle order. At the presentation ceremony, he himself claimed that the target can be chased. As against RR’s 205 runs, Mumbai managed to score 175 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Hardik Pandya was out after scoring 34 runs in 15 balls.
“It was very hot as well, the bowlers did a very good job. It was achievable, we lost a lot of wickets in the powerplay and then it was always a catch-up game,” the Mumbai Indians captain said after the match.
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