Hardik Pandya and the Mumbai Indians legacy that’s cracking

Legacy only gets you so far in life. After that, if there’s no work to back up the talk, then you are digging your own grave.

It is something that is applicable in all facets of life, and in this case, it is aptly applicable for five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners, Mumbai Indians, as they are witnessing an all-time low.

Across the last four seasons, MI have rarely threatened teams in the top half of the table. So much so, they are now at the foothill of the IPL 2026 points table, only sparingly above Lucknow Super Giants. Mathematically, there’s still a hope but practically, that hope is nothing but a mirage on a desert.

You run through the team sheet, and you will find one superstar after another, there’s Ryan Rickelon, Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sherfane Rutherford, Jasprit Bumrah and yet, they find themselves staring at the bottom of the barrel.

Two years ago, when MI were looking at the bottom, they assumed that a leadership change was all it would take, and despite multiple changes, with Pandya assuming captaincy and Mahela Jayawardene returning as their head coach, nothing has changed.

If anything, things have gotten worse at the franchise, who can not find ways to win games.

So much so that despite having Trent Boult and Bumrah, two big match bowlers, they failed to defend 243 at their own home. It wasn’t a one-off event, just a week and half ago, they were bowled out for 104 at the Wankhede, chasing 208 against Chennai Super Kings. Where’s it all gone wrong?

Hardik for India vs Hardik for Mumbai, two different personas

Hardik for India is a bonafide match-winner.

Hardik for MI? Well, he was a match-winner for the longest time but it has now changed, questionable tactics as a captain and questionable choices in terms of team selection has really plagued the 32-year-old.

If you take away his captaincy, you can clearly see how it has affected his own game, with just 146 runs @20.85 avg, and a SR of 136.44. Not to forget his bowling, where he’s given away 246 runs in the season, picking up just four wickets, averaging a tear-worthy 61.50, and an economy rate of 11.90.

Certainly, MI’s 2026 IPL season has taken a hit because of Hardik’s own form.

Debatable retentions and selections have cost MI

INR 9.25 crore.

That’s the price MI paid to get Deepak Chahar on board at the 2025 IPL auction. Across two seasons, the Rajasthan all-rounder has given the franchise just 17 games. Even in his first season, where he picked up 11 wickets, there was always the sign of how that deal could turn worse for the franchise, considering Chahar’s strengths.

In IPL 2026, it showed, as the right-arm swing bowler only played thrice, returning with just one wicket at an average of 87.00. Let’s not even get to the economy rate, which at 13.38, doesn’t justify any bit of the retention.

Not to forget Boult, who after picking up 22 wickets in IPL 2025, has completely blanked the franchise, with just two wickets across 97 balls, which shows a complete lack of form, as the left-arm pacer averages 94.00—comfortably his worst season in IPL history.

And when picked, the complete lack of confidence in their skill set from their captain has shown big time. Or, in some cases, a bizarre move to bowl newbie Krish Bhagat at the death against an on-song Samson, and putting all the pressure on the youngster has certainly backfired for the franchise.

Constant chopping and changes

One thing that MI were always known for was their stability.

Players knew that they were in the team for a long run. But as sad as it sounds, it has been quite an altering reality in the recent time. In IPL 2026, MI have used up 23 players, including handing debuts to as many as three players.

But the worrying aspect is that they have sent quite a mixed message to the youngsters, with Mayank Rawat dropped after just one game, Danish Malewar and Robin Minz facing similar treatment after two games. If that’s one side of things, out of nowhere, they ended up dropping the batting differentiator, Rutherford, who was striking at 190.74—the highest for the franchise (min 50 runs).

Not to forget, their usage of impact player option has been equally tilting, especially when they brought on Shardul Thakur against SRH, and not giving him a single over.

Powerplay woes that has haunted them

151 dot balls in the first six-over phase this IPL.

In a tournament where the powerplay has increasingly become the differentiator, MI have been far away from the reality, with the five-time IPL champions only striking at 148.15, and facing the third-most dot balls this season.

If batting was the only problem, maybe MI would have found themselves in a slightly better position but their new-ball bowling has been equally woeful, as the bowlers average 43.79, with an economy rate of 11.35—the second-worst in the league. Lack of penetration in either departments have come at a cost, as MI find themselves reeling at the bottom of the points table.

Now, the question is what and where next? If the answers are as dramatic as rumours suggest, then the franchise might be in for an overhaul, as a fresh mindset is the need of the hour.