Should Hardik Pandya be blamed for MI's dismal IPL 2026 campaign? Wasim Jaffer shares candid opinion

Wasim Jaffer said that Hardik Pandya should not be solely blamed for the Mumbai Indians' (MI) dismal performance in IPL 2026 so far. The former India opener's remark came after the five-time champions defeated the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets on Monday, May 4, at the Wankhede Stadium. Hardik missed the match due to back spasms.

Jaffer mentioned that individual players have not been in form, like Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Trent Boult. The cricketer-turned-expert added that injuries have also plagued MI, especially with Rohit Sharma getting injured at the wrong time and missing five consecutive matches.

"All these decisions are taken after the tournament. Nobody thinks about it mid-tournament. Mumbai Indians' journey is alive just mathematically; they are also almost out of the tournament," Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.

"They have underperformed, but you cannot say that this team played badly because of Hardik Pandya. Individual players also have not played well, and there have been injury issues as well. Rohit got injured at the wrong time, and Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Trent Boult struggled for form," he added.

I don't know when he is expected to be back: Ryan Rickelton on Hardik Pandya's injury

MI's in-form opener Ryan Rickelton said that he is unsure about the extent of Hardik's injury. However, he hoped that the Baroda all-rounder would be with the team when they travel to Raipur to face arch-rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, May 10.

"I don't know when he is expected to be back. I found out myself this afternoon that he had back spasms. I don't know the extent of the injury or how bad it is. I am not sure how he is feeling, but I am sure that he will be with us again as we head to Raipur this week," Rickelton said during the post-match press conference (via NDTV).

On Monday, Lucknow posted 228/5 on the back of Nicholas Pooran's blistering half-century and contributions from Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Himmat Singh. However, the Mumbai Indians made light work of the run chase, reaching home in 18.4 overs thanks to Rohit Sharma and Rickelton's match-winning 143-run opening stand off just 65 balls.