Ravichandran Ashwin has stepped up to defend Hardik Pandya, calling it "unfair" to lay all the blame on the Mumbai Indians captain for their disappointing IPL 2026 campaign. With MI—a powerhouse franchise with five titles—managing just four wins in 12 matches, they became only the second team eliminated from playoff contention this season. Hardik's struggles with both bat and ball have only intensified the scrutiny, but Ashwin believes the team's failures run far deeper than any one player.

"I wouldn't review his captaincy this year at all," Ashwin told ESPNcricinfo. "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." The veteran spinner pointed to Hardik's stellar leadership at Gujarat Titans, where he guided them to a title and a runners-up finish in two seasons, as clear evidence of his captaincy credentials. "He was there at Gujarat Titans. Had two fabulous seasons. So clearly, as a leader, he did something right there," Ashwin added.

Ashwin also highlighted the immense challenge of replacing a legend. "It's not easy to replace an incumbent Indian captain, white-ball captain, such as Rohit Sharma. Five titles in the IPL. He's won a T20 World Cup. You've got a lot of fandom going around in the country. You should have a thick skin to survive social media these days."

Perhaps most concerning, however, is Hardik's batting form. Ashwin noted a troubling trend: "With his batting, I found something quite interesting and strange—how late he's been on the ball. Is he going through something physically? We wouldn't know. But he's been late on hard-length deliveries." Hardik has managed only 146 runs in eight innings this season, with four wickets at an economy rate of 11.90, and missed three matches due to injury. For a "once-in-a-generation" all-rounder, these numbers raise serious questions about his fitness and timing. As MI's campaign winds down, the focus now shifts to whether Hardik can rediscover his rhythm—both as a leader and as a game-changer with the bat.