Hardik Pandya’s captaincy has come under heavy scrutiny after Mumbai Indians (MI) lost four of their six matches played so far in the ongoing Tata Indian Premier League 2026 (Tata IPL 2026). Apart from captaincy, Hardik Pandya’s performance as a player has also been disappointing.
As Mumbai Indians prepare to face Chennai Super Kings in their next IPL 2026 encounter at the Wankhede Stadium on April 23, Tilak Verma has shared his experience of playing under the captaincy of both Hardik Pandya and India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Tilak Verma refused to choose the best captain between Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma
Tilak Verma shared that Hardik’s style is full of energy, and he is always involved, always pushing the players, and trying to lift the mood on the field. The young batsman also shared the example of MI’s last game against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, where he scored an unbeaten century.
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The MI captain looked quite intense while talking to Tilak during their partnership. However, the batsman did not feel any pressure at all but played a strong innings that helped the five-time champions win the match against the Titans by 99 runs.
Speaking about Suryakumar’s style, Tilak said that he brings a calm approach and thinks more about plans, match situations and small details. However, Hyderabad batsmen feel comfortable with the leadership style of both the captains, avoiding choosing one over the other.
I am enjoying playing under both the captains: Tilak Verma
Tilak Verma said in the pre-match press conference, “To be honest, Surya bhai was a bit on the tactical side. Hardik bhai, he always supports the players and himself. If you watched the last game, he was saying, ‘Tu karega, tu karke dikhaega.’ He keeps motivating the players with his energy.
That’s the type of captaincy he has – the energy you can feel. Surya is more on the strategic side. Both are good in their aspects. I enjoyed playing under the captaincy of Surya bhai and I am enjoying it under the captaincy of Hardik bhai too.”
At the same time, Mumbai Indians are under pressure this season. There are also questions regarding the form of both Hardik and Suryakumar. He is yet to score big this season, but Tilak insists he is doing everything right and just needs one good innings to progress.
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Surya Bhai is not out of form: Tilak Verma
Tilak said that Suryakumar is not out of form. He is batting well and timing the ball well. He said that sometimes a player gets out because of a good delivery or because of taking risks in difficult situations, citing the RCB match, where Suryakumar played his usual shot but was out.
He concluded by saying, “It’s just a matter of one innings. If that innings comes, he will be back in form. Same thing happened in the World Cup. The first match against USA – that was a very important innings. If it doesn’t go well in the first match of the World Cup, the morale of the team goes down a bit. But he did that there. It’s just one innings, and he will be back.”