Mumbai Indians set to sack Hardik Pandya as captain after IPL 2026: Reports

Hardik Pandya has the highest losing percentage as MI captain.

The Indian Premier League 2026 is coming to its end, and only two games are left to play. Seven teams have been eliminated, and the five-time champions, the Mumbai Indians, were the second team to be eliminated from the tournament.

MI had a horrible season on the field, losing 10 out of 14 matches. Mumbai finished the league stage in ninth place, just above Lucknow Super Giants. Before the start of IPL 2026, MI were the favourites to win the trophy. They started the season with a bang, chasing a mammoth 224 against KKR.

But it was the only clinical win they had in the season. Despite a star-studded lineup, MI suffered badly on the field. It was the third time in the last five seasons that MI finished an IPL season in the bottom two. Hardik Pandya’s return to the franchise hasn’t proved to be fruitful for the five-time champions.

He was traded to MI after leading the Gujarat Titans to consecutive finals, including a title win in 2022. He was appointed as the new captain, replacing Rohit Sharma. However, it seems that Hardik’s days as MI captain are about to end.

Hardik Pandya set to lose MI captaincy – Reports

Hardik Pandya joined the Mumbai Indians as captain in 2024 and has led the five-time champions in three consecutive seasons. Under his captaincy, MI reached the playoffs in 2025. But in the other two seasons, they finished in the bottom two.

Hardik’s performance as MI captain has probably been the worst. He has led the team in 39 matches, registering 15 wins and 24 losses, with a win percentage of 38.46.

Now, a report from the Indian Express claims that the franchise is all set to sack Hardik from the captaincy role.

The report states that the management is not keen to retain him as captain. A source said, “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.”

Hardik failed in IPL 2026 not only as a captain but also as a player. He finished with 206 runs at an average of 22.88 with a best score of 40. With the ball, he took only 4 wickets at an economy rate of 11.42. After this below-par season, the management and fans were visibly unhappy, while Hardik also hinted at a possible exit from the franchise.

MI failed as a unit, with none of their batsmen making it to the top 17 run-scorers. Ryan Rickelton scored the most runs for them, who is ranked 18th on the list. With the ball, Allah Ghazanfar took 15 wickets, and no other MI bowler could impress with the performance.

Jasprit Bumrah also had a horrible season, taking just 4 wickets at an average of 102.50. Mumbai won their last title in 2020, and it has been six seasons since they played an IPL final. It is their longest streak in terms of a title win in the IPL.

Hence, the franchise might need to rethink their plans and make some necessary changes before the next season.

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