Mumbai Indians' disappointing IPL 2026 campaign has drawn heavy scrutiny towards captain Hardik Pandya, but Ravichandran Ashwin has strongly defended the all-rounder, insisting he should not be judged solely on one difficult season.
MI were the first team this season to be eliminated from playoff contention after managing just four wins in 12 matches, with Hardik also battling fitness concerns during the campaign. Amid growing criticism surrounding both his captaincy and form, Ashwin backed the MI skipper, calling him as a “once-in-a-generation” player.
Speaking on ESPNCricinfo TimeOut and later on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said it was unfair to single out Hardik for Mumbai Indians' struggles this season.
“I would not review his captaincy this year at all. Honestly, when you have seasons like this, to pin the blame on the captain is quite unfair. Nobody has turned up. The team has failed to turn up, and for Hardik to take the blame on himself is... You are asking him to do a little too much,” Ashwin said.
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Ashwin also highlighted the pressure attached to replacing Rohit Sharma, who led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles.
“It is not easy to replace an incumbent Indian captain, white-ball captain, such as Rohit Sharma. Five titles in the IPL... and Hardik comes and replaces him. You have got a lot of fandom going around in the country. You should have a thick skin to survive social media these days,” he added.
The former India spinner also pointed to Hardik's success with Gujarat Titans as evidence of his leadership credentials. Hardik captained Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in 2022 and followed it with a runners-up finish in 2023 before returning to Mumbai Indians.
“He was there at the Gujarat Titans. Had two fabulous seasons (one title and one runners-up finish). So clearly, as a leader, he did something right there,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin additionally raised concerns about Hardik's physical condition, suggesting the all-rounder may still be dealing with underlying fitness issues affecting his batting.
“With his batting, I found something quite interesting and strange, which is how late he has been on the ball. Is he going through something physically? ... He is not someone who's going to miss hard-length deliveries. He hits it 15 rows back. That is a bit of a concern for me, whether he is suffering something physically from a back issue or hands, or does he have a tennis elbow?” Ashwin observed.
Despite the criticism surrounding Hardik's recent performances, Ashwin maintained that the all-rounder remains one of India's most valuable white-ball cricketers.
“Hardik is a 'once-in-a-generation' player. He has been the linchpin of India's T20I juggernaut,” Ashwin said.
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Hardik first emerged as a key figure for Mumbai Indians between 2015 and 2021, developing into one of the IPL's premier finishing all-rounders. During that phase, he played a major role in four IPL title-winning campaigns with his power-hitting and seam bowling.
His standout IPL season came in 2019, when he scored 402 runs at a strike rate above 190 while also contributing 14 wickets. Across his Mumbai Indians career, Hardik has scored more than 2,000 runs and picked up around 70 wickets.
After leading Gujarat Titans successfully for two seasons, Hardik returned to Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2024 in a high-profile move that also saw him take over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma.
Mumbai Indians finished last in 2024, recovered to qualify for the playoffs in 2025, but have again endured a disappointing campaign in 2026 with the team currently placed second from bottom on the points table.
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