Not Hardik Pandya's Captaincy, Virender Sehwag Has Found Out What's Wrong With Mumbai Indians: "Bahut Bekaar"

Nothing seems to be going right for Mumbai Indians currently. Earlier, MI had shown a tendency to pick up pace after a slow start. However, this time, the slow start has continued into the middle of the IPL 2026. The situation is such that MI are all but out of the playoff race. After six losses in eight games, MI need to not only win all their remaining six matches but also hope for favourable results from other teams. India great Virender Sehwag refused to blame Hardik Pandya's captaincy for the poor show.

"MI's issue is with implementation. They are not being able to execute their plans. When you need wickets, you are not getting the breakthroughs. How will you stop runs? You can stop runs only by dismissing rival batters. MI's bowling has been a big let-down," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

"Earlier, they used to get wickets early on with Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. But Bumrah was expensive today. Their execution in bowling has not been good."

Sehwag also pointed out that MI brought in Shardul Thakur as the impact player but did not use him at all. "Samajh nahi aaya (did not understand at all)," Murali Kartik, who was part of the discussion, said.

"They should have bowled at least one over from him. He is a wicket-taking bowler. Only Hardik Pandya can answer why he was not given the ball. Whenever he has bowled, he has taken wickets. The captain is trying, but the bowling is very poor."

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians' batting coach Kieron Pollard has thrown his support behind pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, urging critics to show patience despite the pacer's modest returns in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 season.

The remarks came after Mumbai Indians suffered a heavy six-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, where even a daunting total of 243 proved insufficient. Bumrah, one of the side's key bowlers, has managed just two wickets in eight matches so far, though he continues to maintain the best economy rate among MI bowlers.

Addressing questions around Bumrah's form, Pollard defended the Indian pacer and highlighted the pressures faced by players performing under constant scrutiny. "We are unfortunate, you know, to always be in the public eye. So when we do badly, it's always highlighted. But when normal people have jobs and they send the wrong email, they have the opportunity to edit the words and all these things. We don't have that opportunity. So it's fair enough-when you're not doing well, you accept certain things. And knowing the individual, I know he's going to bounce back to greater heights and take wickets," Pollard said in the post-match press conference.

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Topics mentioned in this article

Virender Sehwag Hardik Pandya Jasprit Bumrah Trent Boult Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 Cricket