IPL 2026: Will Mumbai Indians Replace Hardik Pandya As Captain? Kieron Pollard Has His Say

Mumbai Indians ended their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign with four victories and 10 defeats in what was yet another disappointment for the franchise.

Their ninth place finish marks the second time in three years that the MI franchise have finished in the bottom two under Hardik Pandya's captaincy.

The all-rounder's captaincy stint has not gone well with Mumbai as he has failed to deliver the results when it mattered the most, despite them boasting one of the strongest squad in the competition across all three seasons.

Since his move to Mumbai Indians in 2024, Hardik did steady the ship in 2025 but this season has nothing short of a disaster.

After MI's defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, batting coach Kieron Pollard admitted that skipper Hardik Pandya's leadership stint "has not gone as well" as either the player or the franchise would have hoped after Mumbai Indians' season panned out.

“From a leadership perspective on Hardik, yes, it has not gone maybe as well as he would have wanted as an individual. It might not have gone as we would have wanted as a management staff. But one thing you know is that we have tried each and everything to give the best opportunity to lead the franchise to do well,” Pollard said.

“Again, no one is going to sit here and put blame or point fingers. I think when you lose, especially, you have to look at it from a collective perspective. So you win some, you lose some.”

However, Pollard has hinted that the franchise will have discussions around the leadership and the team's future internally after a thorough review of the season.

“But at the end of the day, I will question certain things. He was trying. We all were trying. And it just didn’t work out for us. So just as previously answered, again, you sit, you talk, and see what’s best. Never know what’s going to happen. For us, let’s just lick our wounds in the meantime and hopefully come back stronger in 12 months’ time,” he concluded.

Hardik Pandya's captaincy will be one of the talking point ahead of the new IPL season. MI might have publicly backed their captain, but at the end of the day, results speak and Hardik has failed to live up to the expectations.

It remains to be seen whether Mumbai Indians hierarchy, stick or twist with the same leadership. What's certain is that the franchise heads into the off-season with a lot of questions than answers after yet another season that fell well short of expectations.