IPL 2026: After 4 consecutive defeats, will Hardik Pandya lose his captaincy? Questions raised after the crushing defeat by PBKS

MI vs PBKS, Hardik Pandya: In the 24th match of IPL 2026, five-time champion Mumbai Indians had to face a crushing defeat by 7 wickets against Punjab Kings. In this match played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai team had set a target of 196 runs, in response to which Punjab team won the match by scoring 198 runs in 16.3 overs. This is Mumbai’s fourth consecutive defeat in 5 matches this season. After this defeat, questions are being raised on Hardik Pandya’s captaincy. On social media, people are demanding to change the captaincy of MI.

Will the captaincy be snatched from Hardik Pandya?

After the crushing defeat by 7 wickets at the hands of Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Wankhede ground, questions have been raised on the future of Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya. After registering a win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the beginning of the IPL 2026 season, the Mumbai team has had to face defeat in 4 consecutive matches. Mumbai had to face defeat against Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Punjab Kings. Out of these, the team has lost two matches on its home ground. Due to four consecutive defeats and poor performance of the team, Hardik is facing the anger of the fans.

Hardik is being criticized a lot on social media and demands are being made to remove him from the captaincy. Critics believe that Hardik’s captaincy decisions are not proving beneficial for the team. However, the MI team management will decide whether Hardik will be stripped of captaincy mid-season or not. But Mumbai has an option in the form of Suryakumar Yadav, who recently led India to the T20 World Cup 2026 title.

Also read- IPL 2026: Quinton de Kock broke MS Dhoni’s big record, captured second place in the list of greats.

Hardik Pandya’s captaincy record in IPL

Hardik Pandya has captained two teams in the IPL so far and his journey with both the teams has been completely different. On one hand, under his captaincy, Gujarat Titans team was successful in winning the trophy in its first season, while on the other hand, his captaincy with Mumbai Indians was quite challenging. Hardik was made the captain of MI in place of Rohit Sharma in IPL 2024. Hardik has captained 63 matches in the IPL so far and has won 36 matches, while losing 27 matches. His winning percentage is around 58%.

Also read- IPL 2026: Punjab Kings reach number 1 in the points table after defeating Mumbai, RCB’s reign ends

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