Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has criticised Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya for handing the ball to rookie pacer Krish Bhagat to bowl the end overs during the IPL 2026 clash against Chennai Super Kings.
Bhagat bowled the 16th and 20th over of the innings, where he conceded a combined 31 runs and ensured the ended their innings on a high. The pacer was introduced in the attack, despite Pandya himself having two overs under his belt.
“With , I don’t have any personal relationship with him, but I always feel that he is a box office player. It is easy to say things about Hardik Pandya now, but today, when he gave Krish Bhagat the final over, I admit that Pandya went for 38 runs in two overs. But if a player can bowl the final over of the 2024 T20 World Cup against David Miller, you can bowl this too, right?” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“Krish Bhagat does not have that much experience, I like how he bowled, he did not do too badly, but Pandya can take up that pressure. What’s the worst that will happen?” he added.
The 106-Test veteran felt that Pandya was perhaps feeling the pressure of taking over the captaincy reign from Rohit Sharma, who has led to five titles.
“What happened to Hardik Pandya after he came to MI after the trade, was too much for an individual to handle. You replaced a great like Rohit Sharma, and got booed by his own fans in his own stadium. That is a lot to deal with emotionally. You are only as good as your team as a captain,” he said.
Pandya has had a tough time with both bat and ball in 2026, scoring a mere 97 runs and taking six wickets. Despite the lean run, head coach Mahela Jayawardene said in the post-match presentation that the all-rounder’s form had taken a dip after a positive start to the season.
“I don’t think, to be honest. It is not a concern. He started well. In the first few games with the ball, he bowled really well. Overall, as a unit, we haven’t been consistent. But we haven’t picked up early wickets, we haven’t managed to control things in the way conditions and stuff like that, so that’s an overall thing,” Jayawardene said.
MI will next take on at home on Wednesday.
