Speculations are rife that MI will part ways with captain Hardik Pandya.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has advised the Mumbai Indians (MI) to avoid making hasty and knee-jerk decisions in the aftermath of the disastrous IPL 2026 season, where the five-time champions finished ninth on the 10-team points table with just 4 wins from 14 matches.
Ever since their elimination from the tournament, multiple reports have surfaced claiming the franchise will part ways with Hardik Pandya both as captain and player.
The all-rounder, who led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in 2022, returned to his old team as skipper ahead of the 2024 season. However, he was booed at MI's home ground, the Wankhede Stadium, primarily because he replaced the legendary and beloved captain, Rohit Sharma.
The booing intensified as MI struggled on the field, finishing at the very bottom of the points table in 2024. Though the team reached the playoffs in 2025, further struggles in 2026 has put Pandya under severe scrutiny.
On a personal front, Hardik endured a below-par IPL 2026 campaign. In 10 matches, he scored 206 runs at an average of 22.89 and a strike rate of 138.25. His impact with the ball was severely limited as he managed to pick up just 4 wickets during the tournament.
Hardik also had to sit out a few crucial games in the latter half of the season, notably dealing with recurring back spasms.
Amid the debacle, Gavaskar urged the MI management to take a breather and regroup after a few weeks.
“Nothing has been decided. Everybody in that camp needs to take a little step back for a few days. Maybe a fortnight. Maybe a month or even longer, and then regroup. They should then talk to people and talk to Hardik and find out what the next step is,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“You don't want to take steps now in the aftermath of a rock-hard season, so obviously the best way forward is just to take a step backwards, maybe three weeks or four weeks. Let everything cool down. You'll get a better perspective after that,” he added.
Gavaskar’s comment comes days after The Indian Express reported that MI management has decided to sack Hardik Pandya as captain.
“There were enough signs during the season that the team management wasn’t keen to retain him as captain. There is a clear buzz in the camp,” the publication quoted a source as saying.
The report also indicated that the coaching staff held an end-of-season briefing, instructing senior cricketers to remain "coachable" after multiple instances where Pandya and other players strayed from data-driven team recommendations.
“The coaching staff was very clear in their message to the senior players that wherever they play, they need to be coachable. There were many instances where the coaching staff recommended something which was backed by data, but players didn’t follow it,” said a source.