Former Indian player Ravichandran Ashwin criticized Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya for his bowling decisions during the recent match of IPL 2026. Ashwin questioned why the experienced all-rounder avoided bowling in the crucial death games and put pressure on youngster Krish Bhagat.

Mumbai Indians lost to Chennai Super Kings by 103 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, April 23. The visitors posted 207 runs after losing the toss and then bowled out the hosts for just 104 runs in 20 overs. Mumbai Indians are currently at eighth place in the table with two wins in seven matches.

Ravichandran Ashwin slams Hardik Pandya’s captaincy after MI’s loss to arch-rivals

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin was not impressed with Hardik Pandya’s decisions. He said Pandya should have bowled the final instead of uncapped Krish Bhagat against Sanju Samson.

“With Hardik, I don’t have any personal relationship with him, but I always feel that he is a box-office player. It is easy to say things about Hardik Pandya now, but today when he gave Krish Bhagat the final over, I admit that Pandya made 38 runs in two overs,” R Ashwin said.

“But if a player can play in the T20 World Cup 2024 final against David Miller, you can play this too, right? Krish Bhagat doesn’t have that much experience, I like how he played, he didn’t do that badly, but Pandya can handle that pressure. What’s the worst that can happen?” he added.

Also Read: RCB vs GT Dream11 Prediction Today, Dream11 Team Today, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing XI, Pitch Report, Injury Update: IPL 2026, Match 34

Pandya gave the ball to Krish Bhagat to bowl the crucial 16th and 20th overs. The young bowler conceded 31 runs, including three consecutive boundaries, under intense pressure in the closing stages of the innings.

With Pandya not taking the responsibility, Sanju Samson dominated the bowling attack. He scored an unbeaten 101 off 54 balls, hitting ten fours and six sixes to take Chennai Super Kings to a total of 207.

Bhagat impressed on debut against Gujarat Titans (GT), giving away just 10 runs. However, he was used on the power play in that game, unlike this high-pressure kill situation.

You gave them the match on a plate – Ravichandran Ashwin in Pandya

Ravichandran Ashwin also spoke about the pressure on Hardik Pandya. He said replacing Rohit Sharma and facing public backlash can take a toll on any player. Ashwin added that a captain’s success depends on the overall performance of the team.

“What happened to Hardik Pandya after he came to MI after the trade was too much for one individual to handle. You replaced a great like Rohit Sharma and you were booed by his own fans in his own stadium. That’s a lot to deal with emotionally; that’s a lot to handle. You are only as good as your team as a captain,” explained R Ashwin.

“I still think CSK were lacking, but what can I say about Mumbai? There is nothing this team is lacking. With MI’s form this year, you can’t afford to keep Will Jacks out. So it was really disappointing. Hardik Pandya, after winning the toss, put a team that had done well while batting first into bat first, you gave them the match on a plate,” he concluded.

Also Read: Akash Ambani leaves Wankhede Stadium midway as MI collapses against CSK in IPL 2026