Former India batsman and IPL winner Manoj Tiwary claimed that Hardik Pandya lost the MI dressing room after their last loss against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday 2nd May. Mumbai were beaten by their arch-rivals by eight wickets in another one-sided derby. The loss meant that Mumbai is ninth in the points table.
CSK vs MI: MAIN | SCORECARD
Captain Hardik was questioned by pundits and fans also observed some unrest in the team. When losing PBKSJasprit Bumrah was seen unhappy with the MI skipper’s call and showed his displeasure on the field.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after the match, Tiwary said that MI’s campaign is well and truly over and he feels that there seems to be something fundamentally wrong with the team.
“For me it’s definitely over; for me it’s been a long time actually. As you know, whenever we sit down to discuss, we’re quite open and honest with each other. I base my observations and comments strictly on what’s seen on the field. And in my opinion – judging by the brand of cricket we’ve witnessed – it looks like something is fundamentally wrong.”
Coming to Hardik and his captaincy, Tiwary felt that none of the players was an all-rounder. While the former India batsman admitted that Hardik did not live up to the hype of being the MI captain, he also blamed the rest of the team for not performing during the season.
“Look, a captain should earn the trust of every player in the team; you have to step up and be a real leader. Is that so? But watching the situation, it seems that nobody is really standing by Hardik. Nobody seems to be focused behind him; the kind of support that he should be getting is just not happening.”
“Yes, the captain certainly has a specific role – and maybe he is not fulfilling that role as effectively as he could. From my point of view, he is not quite fulfilling that role. But apart from that, the players themselves have to bear their share of responsibility,” Tiwary said.
The former KKR man pointed to the examples of Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma who remained inconsistent throughout the campaign.
“Take Suryakumar for example: he hasn’t performed on a consistent basis from match to match. Similarly, Tilak has had one exceptional match but hasn’t scored since then. If this kind of inconsistency continues among the rest of the team, how can you expect to get very positive results? It’s frankly very disappointing,” Tilak said, frankly.
‘REMOVE THE CLASSIC NAME’
Chennai’s win on Saturday meant that CSK have now won six of their last seven matches against MI. Chennai have also closed the gap on Mumbai in their head-to-head record, which now stands at 24-21, still in favor of MI.
Tiwary said the rivalry has become one-sided in recent times and should be stripped of the El Clasico title.
“You know how we always talk about this match being the ‘El Clisco’ of the IPL? Well, you might as well go ahead and take that title away from him now because it’s 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 say that this Tiico ‘Clico’ rivalry still retains its status.”
Mumbai still hold a mathematical chance of making it to the playoffs. In their next match on Monday, May 4, they will face LSG at home.
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Published on:
03 May 2026 11:27 IST
