R Ashwin Defends Hardik Pandya Amid IPL 2026 Criticism And Social Media Thrashing

R Ashwin and Shardul Thakur backed Hardik Pandya amid growing criticism over Mumbai Indians’ poor IPL 2026 campaign and concerns surrounding his injury absence

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has once again found himself surrounded by heavy scrutiny during IPL 2026, with social media debates intensifying after he missed multiple matches due to injury concerns. Questions around his future at Mumbai Indians and his form this season have sparked widespread discussion, especially after MI became one of the earliest teams to be knocked out of the playoff race.

Hardik’s difficult phase comes nearly two years after the backlash he faced following his high-profile move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2024. The all-rounder had then faced criticism from fans across venues, including Mumbai and Ahmedabad, while social media reactions also heavily targeted him.

R Ashwin Backs Hardik Pandya’s Leadership Despite MI’s Poor Season

Former India spinner R Ashwin also came out in support of Hardik Pandya, stating that blaming the captain alone for Mumbai Indians’ struggles would be unfair. Ashwin highlighted how Hardik had previously led Gujarat Titans successfully, guiding them to one IPL title and one runners-up finish in consecutive seasons.

“I wouldn’t review his captaincy this year at all,” R Ashwin said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut. “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’re asking him to do a little too much.”

Ashwin also spoke about the challenges Hardik faced after replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain, considering Rohit’s legendary status in the IPL and Indian cricket.

“He was there at Gujarat Titans. Had two fabulous seasons [one title and one runners-up finish]. So clearly as a leader he did something right there. And when he returned to Mumbai Indians, he had to deal with quite a bit. It’s not easy to replace an incumbent Indian captain, white-ball captain, such as Rohit Sharma. Five [six] titles in the IPL. He’s won a T20 World Cup. And Hardik comes and replaces him. You’ve got a lot of fandom going around in the country. You should have a thick skin to survive the social media these days.”

Mumbai Indians have endured a disappointing IPL 2026 season, with Hardik also struggling individually. The all-rounder managed only 146 runs in eight innings at an average of 20.85 while picking up just four wickets at an economy rate of 11.90.

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Ashwin Raises Concerns Over Hardik Pandya’s Physical Condition

While defending Hardik’s captaincy, Ashwin admitted that he noticed worrying signs in Hardik’s batting approach this season. The veteran spinner questioned whether the MI skipper might be dealing with underlying physical discomfort.

“I wouldn’t judge his captaincy much because the bowling has also leaked [runs in] every direction,” Ashwin said. “Every single time an over is bowled for six or seven runs, in comes a 15-run over. So what do you do as a captain? And sure, he’s made some calls that have been debatable. [But] captaincy is the result of how your team is making you look. So which is why I believe when you have a good season, don’t give too much credit to a captain. When you have a bad season, don’t pin it on him. And similar with the coach; the coach sends the players out. So you can’t blame him too much.”

Ashwin further pointed out that Hardik looked unusually late while facing hard-length deliveries, something he believes could be linked to a physical issue.

“With his [Hardik’s] batting, I found something quite interesting and strange, which is how late he’s been on the ball. Is he going through something physically,” Ashwin asked. “We wouldn’t be able to know that if there is something, then maybe that physical aspect will bring him back. And if he gets better, he’ll come back to it. But he’s been late on the hard-length deliveries.”

“He’s not someone who’s going to miss hard-length deliveries. He hits it 15 rows back. That’s a bit of a concern for me, whether he’s suffering something physically from a back issue or hands, or does he have a tennis elbow? Is his bat heavier [than it should be]? Does he need to recalibrate that? Those are things that I would want to know.”

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