"He disappointed me a lot with his bowling changes as a captain" - Virender Sehwag on Hardik Pandya after MI's IPL 2025 loss vs PBKS
Former India player Virender Sehwag has criticized Hardik Pandya's captaincy in the Mumbai Indians' (MI) IPL 2025 loss against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). He pointed out that the MI skipper made an injured Deepak Chahar bowl two overs, which proved expensive and changed the momentum of the game.
MI set PBKS a 185-run target in Match 69 of IPL 2025 in Jaipur on Monday, May 26. Shreyas Iyer and company achieved the target with seven wickets and nine deliveries to spare to book a berth in Qualifier 1, leaving the five-time champions with a spot in the Eliminator.
Reviewing the MI-PBKS IPL 2025 clash on Star Sports, Sehwag noted that Hardik's captaincy left him disappointed.
"A bowler can get hit anytime, but Hardik Pandya, the captain, surprised me a little in this match. He could have brought himself on or bowled Ashwani Kumar. He got Deepak Chahar to bowl two overs after he strapped his hamstring. He bowled his first over as a maiden, and he gave 28 runs in those two overs," he said.
"The match probably shifted towards Punjab from there. If Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya or Ashwani Kumar had bowled that over instead of Deepak Chahar, the 17 (16) runs that went in that over wouldn't have gone. He disappointed me a lot with his bowling changes as a captain. He didn't make the changes when required, and Mumbai went on the back foot because of that," the former India opener added.
Deepak Chahar started his spell in MI's IPL 2025 clash against PBKS with a maiden over, although he got his hamstring strapped after the first delivery. However, he conceded 28 runs in his next two overs as PBKS reached 47/1 at the end of the powerplay after a slow start.
"Hardik Pandya should have bowled more in the powerplay" - Sanjay Bangar on MI's IPL 2025 loss vs PBKS
![Hardik Pandya introduced himself into the attack in the eighth over of PBKS' innings. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/2095b-17483255585471-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same discussion, Sanjay Bangar opined that Hardik Pandya should have bowled himself in the powerplay instead of giving Deepak Chahar three overs.
"Hardik Pandya should have bowled more in the powerplay. Trent Boult bowled two overs and Jasprit Bumrah was used for one over, but Deepak Chahar was made to bowl three overs. I feel Hardik could have bowled there. He also delayed himself a lot," he said.
The former India batting coach added that Hardik seemingly underbowls himself when he plays for MI and that the all-rounder didn't live up to the expectations from him as a bowler in Monday's game.
"When he bowls for India and MI, he probably has different expectations from himself because he has made up his mind that he will bowl only in the middle overs and use the short balls and slower bouncers. He had an economy rate of 14.50. You expect better numbers from him. He has been a main player in the World Cup," Bangar observed.
Hardik Pandya registered figures of 0/29 in two overs in MI's IPL 2025 clash against PBKS. Barring Jasprit Bumrah, who delivered a spell of 1/23 in four overs, every MI bowler was taken to the cleaners in Monday's game, with Hardik being the most expensive among the ones who bowled at least two overs.