Pollard non-committal about Hardik’s future as MI captain

Kieron Pollard on Sunday (May 24, 2026) stopped short of offering a firm endorsement of Hardik Pandya’s future as Mumbai Indians captain after another disappointing Indian Premier League campaign, insisting the franchise would now undertake a “thorough” review before taking key decisions.

For the second time in three seasons under Hardik’s leadership, Mumbai finished at the bottom of the points table with only four wins, despite boasting an experienced core comprising Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik, Tilak Varma and Jasprit Bumrah.

“Yes, it has not gone maybe as well as he would have wanted as an individual. It might not have gone the way we would have wanted as a management staff,” Pollard admitted after MI finished its IPL 2026 with a loss against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium. “But one thing you know is that we have tried each and everything to give the best opportunity to lead the franchise and do well.”

While backing Hardik’s intent through a difficult season marred by injuries, inconsistent form and repeated lapses in on-field cohesion, Pollard refused to categorically confirm whether the allrounder would continue as captain next season.

“You sit, you talk, see what’s best. Never know what’s going to happen,” Pollard said. “For us, let’s just lick our wounds in the meantime and hopefully come back stronger in 12 months’ time.”

Pollard also described the campaign as “a season of what-ifs”, admitting Mumbai Indians never managed to build sustained momentum through the tournament.

“We weren’t good throughout the entire tournament. We weren’t able to string together wins and use the momentum when we got it,” he said. “At the end of it, when you look at it rationally, I think we got the position that we deserved.”

Asked whether the franchise now needed significant changes in personnel after a prolonged title drought, Pollard indicated that all aspects would be reviewed internally, though no immediate decisions were likely.

“It’s going to be thorough. Guys are going to sit back and think about what’s needed,” Pollard said. “There’s nowhere near the time to make unnecessary statements on stuff that we’re not going to do right now.”