'4 blokes who could be kings' - Why Hardik Pandya’s captaincy is failing at Mumbai Indians

Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull said that Hardik Pandya has struggled as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain after replacing Rohit Sharma. Doull added that Pandya has not established strong authority in the Mumbai Indians dressing room since returning from his captaincy stint with the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL.

The Mumbai Indians are in ninth place on the 10-team points table with just four points from eight matches. They recently suffered a six-wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (MI) despite scoring 243 runs. The Mumbai Indians' bowling lineup, including Jasprit Bumrah, has struggled throughout the tournament.

Hardik Pandya Was a Cub Who Played a Role in the Pride of Lions - Simon Doull

Simon Doull compared the Mumbai Indians dressing room to a pride of lions. He said that Hardik Pandya earlier played a supporting role and then led the Gujarat Titans successfully, but struggled while trying to replace Rohit Sharma as the established leader.

“When they were in their pomp before the new teams came in, it was like a pride of lions, and Hardik was like a cub,” Doull said on Cricbuzz after the loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

"He was a cub who played the role in the pride of lions that went away, and did a great job at GT with a franchise which he could own and control. He came back, basically tried to fight the king of the pride for the reigning job…for the king’s job, and it did not work,” he added.

It Becomes a Hard Environment to Control - Simon Doull

Simon Doull criticized the Mumbai Indians' management for replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya. He stated that it is difficult to manage a dressing room filled with established international captains, saying such an environment can create doubts over the current leadership.

“There has to be some accountability from the very top; they made that decision. They made that call they allowed him back into what was a very successful team. And now in that dressing room…in that environment, you’ve got four blokes who could all be the king," Doull stated.

"Four guys have captained their country at different stages. It is a very difficult room; it is full of alphas. Everybody will be looking around. I wonder if he would do a better job…I could do a better job. It becomes a hard environment to control,” he added.

They Have to Take Responsibility for What Has Happened - Simon Doull

Simon Doull further said that the Mumbai Indians' ownership must take responsibility for their poor results over the past three seasons. Hardik Pandya has faced heavy scrutiny for his poor outing this season.

“Ownership manager, they have to take responsibility for what has happened over three years. One year can be a blip, but this has been the side that has won five titles in the 20 years of the tournament. They have won a quarter,” Doull concluded.

Hardik Pandya has had a mixed IPL 2026 campaign with both bat and ball. He has scored 128 runs in seven innings at an average of 21.33 and a strike rate of 152.38. With the ball, Pandya has taken four wickets in seven innings at an average of 57.25 and an economy rate of 12.26.

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