Manoj Tiwary has called for a major leadership rethink at Mumbai Indians, suggesting the franchise should hand the captaincy back to Rohit Sharma amid a poor IPL 2026 campaign. The former India batter questioned Hardik Pandya’s leadership, pointing to the team’s struggles this season.

Mumbai’s disappointing start has intensified scrutiny around Hardik, with the team managing just one win in five matches and slipping towards the bottom of the points table. MI’s crushing defeat to Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS on April 16 at Wankhede, stretched MI’s losing streak to 4 matches.

IPL 2026, MI vs PBKS: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

“From where will ownership come? One has to look at oneself as well. You need to see how you have been playing,” Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.

“Just because you are not having success this year doesn’t mean the mistakes happened only this year. You need to look at the root cause as well. From 2015 to 2023, Rohit Sharma helped Mumbai Indians win several trophies,” he added.

Tiwary also compared leadership styles and did not hold back in his assessment of the current setup in MI.

“Shreyas Iyer showed outstanding captaincy, whereas Mumbai Indians’ captaincy was very weak. I think that if a solution is needed, Hardik should step back from the captaincy and hand the responsibility back to Rohit. When you removed Rohit, you did an injustice,” he said.

IS HARDIK THE REASON BEHIND MI’S SLUMP?

Despite the criticism, head coach Mahela Jayawardene dismissed the idea of blaming Pandya alone for the team’s struggles.

“I don’t think it’s just on Hardik, it’s on every one of us. When we’re not doing well, it’s not an individual, it’s pretty much on me, everyone who’s involved in the management to see how can we be better,” Jayawardene said in the post-match press conference.

His comments reflected a collective approach, with the team management unwilling to single out the captain despite growing external pressure.

HOW HAS MI PERFORMED IN IPL 2026

Mumbai Indians’ campaign has been underwhelming so far.

They have lost four of their first five matches, managing just one win, and currently sit near the bottom of the table. Their bowling has struggled badly, conceding 972 runs in five games at an economy rate of 10.26, with a bowling average of 30.86, highlighting the lack of control and wicket-taking ability.

Pandya’s individual numbers have also drawn attention. In the four matches he has played, he has scored 81 runs and picked up just 2 wickets, missing one game due to illness.

The latest defeat to Punjab Kings further exposed these issues, as Mumbai failed to defend 195 despite a strong batting effort.

With both individual and collective performances falling short, the pressure is mounting on Mumbai Indians to find answers quickly.

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