Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has once again launched a scathing attack on Hardik Pandya’s captaincy despite Mumbai Indians’ comprehensive 99-run win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 match in Ahmedabad on April 20. Manjrekar has questioned whether MI’s decision was more emotional and brand-driven rather than based on pure cricket logic.
Pandya, who was brought back to Mumbai Indians as captain in 2024, has not been able to make the kind of impact the franchise expected. Even though he comes from Gujarat Titans with strong leadership success, his homecoming in the league so far has been mixed.
Hardik Pandya’s IPL captaincy journey with Mumbai Indians is under question
The 2024 season was a major setback for the five-time IPL champions, as they finished at the bottom of the points table. However, they have shown some improvement and managed to reach Qualifier 2 in 2025, giving fans some hope that the team is getting back on track.
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And even MI had made a winning start to their IPL 2026 campaign but then lost four consecutive matches before shocking Gujarat Titans on Monday.
Taking a closer look at Hardik’s captaincy journey, Manjrekar has pointed out that his success with Gujarat Titans was not only due to his leadership but also the strong coaching of Ashish Nehra.
Cricket pundits have suggested that when Mumbai Indians brought back Hardik, they might have focused more on making a bold move, rather than building the same support structure that had helped them succeed earlier.
Sanjay Manjrekar took a sharp dig at MI big Hardik Pandya’s decision amid the conflict.
He boldly said that if MI wanted success then they should have also brought in Gujarat Titans head coach Nehra as the coach’s constant tactical inputs were the reason behind their success.
Sanjay Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast: “Hardik Pandya going to Mumbai Indians was a very interesting decision. I think sometimes franchises take decisions that are newsworthy and bring them into the limelight, because after all, it is a commercial brand. You can see the kind of valuation the franchise is getting.”
So, this may not be a good cricket call either. Hardik Pandya got success with Gujarat Titans and a big reason for it was a man named Ashish Nehra. So perhaps if you wanted Hardik Pandya, you could have brought Ashish Nehra along with him.
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The magic of GT’s coaching was behind Pandya’s success: Sanjay Manjrekar
Cricket pundits believe that the GT team had a very active coaching setup which played a big role in the decisions on the field and that is why Pandya performed well as captain and won the IPL 2022 trophy and then made it to another final in 2023, where they lost the cup to CSK.
Manjrekar said, “Hardik Pandya, I believe, was brilliant because he constantly had someone next to him with every step he took on the field. So, it’s really not so much about Hardik but about the decision, was it a wise decision or was it simply someone who wanted to think a little bit outside the box and do something sensational.”
