Ravi Shastri Tells Mumbai Indians To "Look In The Mirror", Gives Hardik Pandya Clear Message
Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians are languishing at the 9th spot in the IPL 2026 points table, with 7 defeats in 9 matches.
It's been a season to forget for the Mumbai Indians. The franchise, which has 5 Indian Premier League (IPL) titles to its name, has only registered two wins this campaign. With their campaign all but over, former India coach Ravi Shastri, who is working as a commentator in the IPL 2026 season, has advised the Hardik Pandya-led franchise to 'look in the mirror' after a lopsided contest against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which ended in their 7th defeat of the campaign.
Shastri, who worked closely with Mumbai Indians stars like Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav etc, admitted that the players would be "dejected and disappointed" with the way they played this season.
"The Mumbai Indians would be really dejected. Disappointing season. Well, if they really look themselves in the mirror, they would feel they haven't played to potential one bit," said Shastri immediately after CSK's emphatic eight-wicket win on Saturday.
Even skipper Hardik admitted that it's "not the season" he and his team would've hoped for.
"They (CSK) played better, they bowled better, they fielded better and they batted better," he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
The MI skipper further said that a total in the range of 180-190 might have given them a better chance, admitting Chennai Super Kings were superior with both bat and ball on the day.
"(A score of) 180-190 should have been a good total. We couldn't get the momentum. It was more about playing calculative cricket. Overall, as a bowling unit, they were better and as a batting unit, we weren't better. The bowling options which we had, we went with it," he said.
Asked if his bowlers needed to be more aggressive while defending a low total, he said, "I don't know what aggressive we would have been. I think we would have had to throw some fireballs to get them out. But, yeah, it was, the bowling option which we had, we went with it and they just played smart cricket. And yeah, they were better."
"Well, all I can say is tough luck today. Reflect on the season and still a month to go in the IPL," Shastri said as he concluded his chat with Hardik.
Mumbai Indians
Hardik Pandya