Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth criticised Hardik Pandya for his mundane performances in the ongoing IPL 2026. Pandya trudged to 18 runs off 23 balls against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Saturday as MI suffered an eight-wicket loss.

The MI skipper struggled to find any timing against the Chennai bowlers and failed to get going. Pandya has managed only 146 runs in eight matches at an average of 20.86 and a strike rate of 136.44 in the ongoing IPL 2026. Thus, he has failed to add the finishing touches for the team this season.

Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel, “Hardik Pandya can’t lay bat on ball, and with the ball also, he is scared. He gives Krish Bhagat the ball in the powerplay instead of bowling himself. Teams are smashing Bhagat, yet Hardik is scared to bowl in the powerplay.”

He added, “Hardik Pandya is playing terribly. You are playing as the captain. They had no clue in the middle and end overs. What was Hardik Pandya even trying to do? It was hard to understand. Hereafter, no one will feed balls on a length for Hardik. They’ll only bowl into the body and tuck him up. Teams are completely locking him up.”

On the other hand, the 1983 World Cup-winning player also slammed Tilak Varma’s performances in the ongoing season. The left-hander could only manage five runs off eight balls against CSK. Varma has managed 193 runs in nine matches of the ongoing tournament.

“Tilak Varma then ate ball after ball and that’s where the pressure started. He is playing so ordinarily. Barring that one century, he has struggled big time this season. One sunny day doesn’t make a summer. Likewise, just one good knock won’t do. He should be dropped. He is batting horribly. They must bring some new batter instead,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

Mumbai Indians will next take on Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Monday.