There was a different Mumbai Indians (MI) side against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). MI chased down 229 in 18.4 overs, Rohit Sharma’s destructive knock, which we witnessed, and the entire unit peaked under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav. Hardik Pandya wasn’t even in the dressing room as Suryakumar Yadav said during the toss that Hardik was unwell (*later confirmed it was back spasms), which is somewhat shocking as MI’s last match was on 2nd May against CSK at Chepauk,
What’s going on in the MI camp
MI making the playoffs is still a long rally ahead, who have 6 points (*9th position in points table) and only 4 matches left in the tank. The sudden powershift in leadership brought out somewhat the best from Rohit Sharma (84 in 44), who was battling a hamstring injury earlier. Jasprit Bumrah nailing yorkers (*wicketless conceded 45 in 4 overs), everything seemed perfectly alright, perhaps it’s a sign that MI management and owners have decided to move on from Hardik Pandya
Under the regime of Hardik Pandya since 2024, they haven’t been able to play a final once. In 2024, they finished in 10th position, in 2025 PBKS’ Shreyas Iyer spoiled their party & now there’s a small ray of hope, but results have to go the other way as well, which won’t be easy. The side somewhat lacks camaraderie, which has hurt Hardik Pandya a lot, as a single player can’t win an IPL tournament, as it is often said IPL is a different format completely.
Is Hardik Pandya’s journey in MI over?
Hardik has scored 146 runs in 8 innings and has taken 4 wickets in 7 innings. It can be seen that the MI skipper is clearly struggling. Not many know that BCCI is monitoring the workload management of Hardik Pandya in order to make him bowl 10 overs in the ICC ODI WC 2027 as a fifth bowler. Hardik has bowled 18.4 overs only this edition, as he is no longer bowling as a regular bowler for MI. It is quite debatable whether BCCI has given strict guidelines to Hardik that MI isn’t aware of, or MI also knows that.
All the blame has fallen on Hardik Pandya for MI’s terrible season, knowingly or unknowingly. It is often said captain brings the best out of everyone, as Rohit Sharma did for MI, who won them 5 titles but was sidelined from captaincy after the 2023 edition. If MI management and owners have decided to move on from Hardik, then other franchises like CSK and DC can benefit a lot, but there’s ample time for that to happen.
In all this chaos, according to credible sources, Suryakumar Yadav looks all set to lead the side for the last 4 matches. Suryakumar’s form also hasn’t been that great, amassing 183 runs in 9 innings. The successor to Hardik can most likely only be Suryakumar Kumar in the near future, or, who knows, MI owners and management have already taken that call, given he is a T20 WC-winning captain & defended title at home, and created a record which didn’t happen before.
The future, though, for Hardik in IPL doesn’t seem to be promising. After taking GT to triumph in 2022 & then leaving after 2023 for MI, the flamboyant all-rounder would be wondering whether he took the right call or not. Hardik Pandya is an asset for the Indian cricket team, undoubtedly. With the ODI WC 2027 in the next 14-16 months, the billion people would be hoping that it doesn’t impact India’s Hardik Pandya.
Also Read:Â MI vs LSG: Rohit Sharma & Ryan Rickelton Hammers LSG