- By Sports desk
- Sun, 03 May 2026 01:59 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary feels that Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya is not getting enough support from his teammates. With MI’s chances of reaching the playoffs in the Indian Premier League 2026 hanging by a thread, Tiwary said it looks like the players have not fully backed their captain.
Tiwary, who was part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ 2012 title-winning squad, believes the team needs to share responsibility instead of depending only on the captain.
"Look, a captain is supposed to win the confidence of every single player in the squad; you have to step up and be a true leader. Right? However, observing the situation, it seems as though no one is truly standing by Hardik. It feels like no one is rallying behind him; the kind of support he ought to be receiving simply isn't materialising," said Tiwary on Cricbuzz.
ALSO READ: Mumbai Indians Playoff Scenario For IPL 2026 Explained: Can MI Still Qualify After Loss To CSK?
"Yes, the captain certainly has a specific role to play—and perhaps, he isn't fulfilling that role as effectively as he could be. From my perspective, he isn't quite living up to the task. But beyond that, the players themselves need to shoulder their share of the responsibility," he added.
ALSO READ: IPL 2026: Dominant Chennai Super Kings Defeat Struggling Mumbai Indians By Eight Wickets
Tiwary also pointed out that key players are not performing well for the Mumbai-based franchise. He mentioned that Suryakumar Yadav has struggled to score consistently, while Tilak Varma has only had one strong performance. According to him, this lack of consistency is hurting the team badly.
"Take Suryakumar, for instance: he hasn't been delivering performances on a consistent, match-to-match basis. Similarly, Tilak had one standout match, but he hasn't been scoring runs since then. If this kind of inconsistency persists among the rest of the squad, how can you possibly expect to achieve positive results? It is, quite frankly, deeply disappointing," said the 40-year-old.
MI vs CSK rivalry debate
On May 2, Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai by eight wickets with 11 balls remaining. Notably, this is twice in the IPL 2026 that MI suffered a massive defeat against CSK. After the match, Tiwary said that this rivalry should no longer be called the “El Clasico” of the IPL.
"You know how we always talk about this fixture being the "El Clsico" of the IPL? Well, you can go ahead and strip it of that title now, because it has become a completely one-sided affair. In their last seven head-to-head encounters, Chennai Super Kings have emerged victorious six times. So, it would be inaccurate to claim that this rivalry still retains its "El Clsico" status," he opined.
Must-win match for Mumbai Indians
This was Mumbai’s seventh loss of the season. They are still mathematically in the race, but another defeat could knock them out of the playoff race.
Their next match is against Lucknow Super Giants on May 4 at the Wankhede Stadium. Lucknow are currently at the bottom of the table, with six losses in eight matches. For Mumbai Indians, this game is now a must-win if they want to stay alive in the tournament.