Former India spinner R Ashwin has opened up about Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya’s poor form with the bat. Pandya scored only 96 runs in five matches in IPL 2026.
Apart from his poor form, Pandya has also had to deal with his team’s dismal form. Mumbai Indians had an auspicious start to the season by winning their first match, but suffered four defeats in a row before bouncing back with a 99-run win against the Gujarat Titans on 20 April.
‘He will start opening up with the bat too’: Ashwin on Hardik Pandya’s losing streak
Ashwin, who has played 106 Tests for India, reiterated a common talking point about the Mumbai Indians side, saying that the MI franchise would be very difficult to stop once Pandya finds his magic with the bat.
“Remember that Hardik Pandya He hasn’t opened with the bat yet. He will also start to get open with the bat. It’s just a matter of one entry. If he gets a good hit in one inning, it will be very difficult to stop this team. If this team starts shooting, it will be very difficult to stop them,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Mumbai Indians also faced a similar setback in IPL 2025. Last year, the Hardik Pandya-led team won just one of their first five matches but bounced back by winning seven of their next 9 matches to book their place in the playoffs, where Punjab Kings ended their streak.
“That pressure also influences your batting” – R Ashwin
Speaking further, Ashwin pointed out that the team’s lack of success meant that Hardik Pandya, as captain, was taking the pressure on himself and that was affecting his batting.
“Hardik Pandya was not getting the win as captain, and there was pressure on him, and that pressure also comes to your batting. With this win, there is a good chance that Hardik Pandya will find his magic with the bat.” He added.
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Not just with the bat, Hardik Pandya’s form has also been indifferent with the ball in IPL 2026. In five matches, he has picked up just three wickets at an economical pace of almost 12 runs an over.
“A very strong opening combination” – R Ashwin
Ashwin also highlighted the importance of Mumbai Indians continuing with their strong opening combination of Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock.
“This win was important for MI, and also important for the IPL. Look, they have a good team, and the way MI was losing to this team, they would have been very upset about it. When you have Quinton de Kock, you have to continue with him even after Rohit Sharma comes in. I agree that Rickelton is a very good player, but de Kock is De Kock. That is the bottom line. Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock will form a very strong opening combination,” he said. added.
Former captain Rohit Sharma has been absent from MI’s last two matches due to injury. In fact, it was his injury that paved the way for De Kock to break into the team. de Kock scored a century in his first match of IPL 2026 and made a strong case to replace struggling Ryan Rickelton, who sat out the match against GT.
Upcoming MI matches
Mumbai Indians will take on arch-rivals and five-time champions Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on April 23. This clash has been billed as the ‘Classic’ of the IPL, but MI are currently seventh while CSK are eighth in the points table, with both teams having won just two matches out of six.