Kieron Pollard Gives Honest Verdict on Hardik Pandya’s Captaincy
Mumbai Indians once again finished among the bottom teams in the IPL. Hardik Pandya was unable to do his best as the captain of the team, as the five time champions failed to give their best. Recently, Kieron Pollard talked about Hardik Pandya's captaincy with the team and how it has gone.
Mumbai Indians are five time IPL champions but it has been more than five seasons since they last won the tournament. In 2024, the team went through a change in captaincy when Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans. Following this, Rohit Sharma was removed from the captaincy and Hardik Pandya was given the role to lead.
Under his captaincy, however, the team has not been able to do well. They made it to the playoffs last season, only to finish in the league stages once again in IPL 2026. With just 4 wins and 10 losses, Mumbai Indians finished this season at the 9th spot in the standings, where Hardik Pandya was the captain in the majority of the games.
Kieron Pollard, the batting coach of Mumbai Indians, talked about Hardik Pandya's captaincy. He said, “From a leadership perspective on Hardik, yes, it has not gone as well as he would have wanted as an individual. But one thing you should know is that we have tried everything to give him the best opportunity to lead the franchise, to do well.”
Our Take
Kieron Pollard made a bold statement on Hardik Pandya and his captaincy in IPL 2026 season. The team had star performers such as Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, and more. But it should also be noted that none of these experienced players were able to bring down their experience in the game and help the team to come out strong this season.