Virender Sehwag slams Hardik Pandya's captaincy in MI's defeat against PBKS: 'As captain, he disappointed me...'

Former India opener Virender Sehwag criticised Hardik Pandya’s captaincy during Mumbai Indians’ seven-wicket loss against Punjab Kings in their final league match of the 2025 Indian Premier League on Monday, stating he was left “disappointed” by the all-rounder’s bowling changes in the match that took place in Jaipur.

Five-time champions MI suffered their second defeat in three games as Josh Inglis (73 off 42 balls) and opener Priyansh Arya (62 off 35 balls) slammed blazing fifties and added 109 for the second wicket to ensure PBKS chased the 185-run target set by Pandya and Co with utmost ease and seal a top-two finish in the process.

This was after Suryakumar Yadav came to MI’s rescue yet again, smashing 57 off 39 balls and staying at the crease till the very end to help his team post a competitive 184/7 on the board after PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer opted to field at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

MI got an opening in the fifth over of the PBKS powerplay with Jasprit Bumrah getting rid of the in-form Prabhsimran Singh (13 off 16). The MI bowlers, however, simply had no answer for Inglis and Arya’s onslaught and watch their top-two hopes sail past them as a result.

Sehwag criticises Pandya’s decision to persist with Chahar

Batting legend Sehwag, who had captained Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) in the initial years of the IPL and later represented Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab), felt Pandya’s decisions during the second half of the match – including and especially his usage of seamer Deepak Chahar – was what cost the five-time champions the game.

“I said it during commentary. Even after Deepak Chahar’s hamstring was strapped during the match, Hardik made him bowl two overs. Chahar’s first over was a maiden but he conceded 28 runs in the next two overs. That shifted the match in Punjab Kings’ favour. If Chahar was not given his second over and Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya or Ashwani Kumar bowled it instead, the 17 runs could have been saved and PBKS would have felt the pressure,” Sehwag said on Star Sports.

“Bumrah conceded a few runs and it is natural that even Hardik will concede a few. But, as a captain, he disappointed me with his bowling changes. He did not make the right changes on time and that is why, MI were left on the back foot,” he added.

Thanks to their defeat, as well as Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s dramatic six-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants in the final league match of the season on Tuesday, MI face 2022 champions Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator on Friday, a day after PBKS and RCB face off in Qualifier.

The winner of the Eliminator will then meet the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2 to decide which team faces the winner of Qualifier 1 in the final on 3 June.