Shardul Thakur was frank the other night in Dharamsala. “Hardik is injured, so he couldn’t travel for a couple of games,” he said after Mumbai Indians’ six-wicket win over Punjab Kings. “He went to Raipur [for the game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 10 May], but couldn’t play. He is training in Mumbai now and I expect him to be back in Kolkata and play [against KKR next Wednesday]. Players like them, we always miss the quality.”
It was the third match on the bounce that Hardik Pandya had missed. His side are already out of the IPL playoff race, and, with form patchy across the group, the chatter has quickly turned from Mumbai’s bowling plans to the captain’s future. A year ago social-media criticism followed him everywhere for replacing Rohit Sharma; it has flared up again as he sits on the sidelines.
“A lot of things happen on social media; some are right, some are wrong,” Shardul noted with a shrug, conscious that the noise will not go away soon.
The franchise have kept the exact diagnosis close, though head coach Mahela Jayawardene spoke of “a back issue” after defeat in Raipur. Hardik last played on 2 May; three fixtures later, Suryakumar Yadav has led twice, Jasprit Bumrah once. Mumbai’s campaign is effectively done – they were one of the first teams mathematically ruled out – yet the scrutiny remains intense.
R Ashwin, never shy of a straight answer, reckons the blame game misses the point. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, he said: “I wouldn’t review his captaincy this year at all. 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 reminded viewers that Hardik’s two years with Gujarat Titans yielded a title and a runners-up medal. “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.”
Numbers back up the wider struggle. In eight innings Hardik has 146 runs at 20.85, striking at 136.44 – not poor but nowhere near the match-winning efforts that used to punctuate his seasons. With the ball he has four wickets at 11.90 runs per over, a figure that hurts in the powerplay and at the death. Suryakumar (195 runs at 144.44) and Bumrah (three wickets, economy 8.53) have also been well below their own lofty standards.
“I wouldn’t judge his captaincy much because the bowling has also leaked [runs in] every direction,” Ashwin added, underlining that a T20 skipper’s options shrink rapidly when bowlers lose control.
Mumbai’s management are said to be cautious with the all-rounder’s back. A stress injury can end more than a season if pushed too soon – Hardik has been through that cycle before. Yet the player is understood to be keen on at least one final appearance; a decent outing could soften the tone of what has become another draining campaign.
There is still the small matter of facing Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, a ground that tends to magnify stories. If Hardik walks out for the toss next Wednesday, expectation will spike again. Should he miss out, the same old questions will circle.
Either way, Hardik’s colleagues believe perspective is required. The side, as Ashwin insists, “has failed to turn up”. Social-media verdicts will not change that scoreboard fact, thick skin or otherwise.
