Former India opener and 1983 World Cup winner Krisnamachari Srikkanth took to his YouTube channel and said that Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya was afraid of going for hard yards. Srikkanth criticized Pandya’s bowling changes in MI’s clash against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
After conceding 38 runs in his two overs in the powerplay, Pandya did not dare to bowl for the rest of the innings. Instead, he entrusted the responsibility of bowling two overs in the death overs to rookie pacer Krish Bhagat. Bhagat bowled the 16th and 20th overs of the innings, conceding 31 runs in his two overs. The final over of 16 runs helped CSK post a total of 207/6 and register a 103-run win.
“Hardik Pandya was wrong” – Kris Srikkanth
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, Srikkanth criticized Hardik Pandya’s decision to bowl first after also winning the toss.
“A player who has played the death overs in the T20 World Cup is afraid of playing the same here. MI’s problem starts here only. That’s why after winning the toss, you have to bat first. At least you get a chance to perform solo heroics like Tilak Varma in the last match or Sanju Samson today. Hardik Pandya was wrong about that too,” he said.
“It was ‘dubba’ captaincy” – Chris Srikkanth
Srikkanth further attacked Pandya by calling his decision-making and captaincy ‘dubba’, a term used to describe bad or inferior things.
Srikkanth criticized the decision to bowl first, pointing out MI’s lack of success in the chase this season. He also called Pandya a “run feeder”.
“It was Hardik Pandya’s dubba captaincy. He should have batted first after winning the toss. Except for the KKR match, they have always lost, always chasing. So, you are a premier bowler who has bowled the death overs in T20 World Cups. However, you don’t come to bowl and let that boy, Krish Bhagat, bowl the last two overs. Hardik has become a run-feeder. Too he’s struggling to put the bat on the ball with the bat,” he continued.
Also Read: Mumbai Indians qualification scenario after loss to CSK in IPL 2026
Hardik Pandya has not been in form with bat or ball in IPL 2026. In 6 matches, he has made only 97 runs and picked 3 wickets at an economy rate of 12.67.
“He has lost confidence with bat, ball and as captain” – Srikkanth
Mumbai Indians are now 8th in the points table with only 2 wins in 7 matches. Their chances of qualifying for the playoffs have been severely affected amid this dismal run and they now face an uphill battle.
Srikkanth concluded his reprimand by saying that MI’s poor run of form has affected Pandya’s confidence in his team and their abilities.
“How are you giving the ball in the death overs to a youngster playing only his second match? It was 4 overs, 69 runs between Hardik and Bhagat. That was the biggest difference. Krish Bhagat should be bowled for two overs in the middle of the innings. MI are done right there. They have no idea what to do with their 11. Hardik Pandya has lost confidence as a batsman, bowler and captain.”