He’s been late on the hard-length deliveries

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has hinted that Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya might be struggling physically, which could be affecting his batting. Ashwin pointed out that the right-handed batter is missing hard-length deliveries, which seems quite strange.

Pandya has struggled to get going with the willow in IPL 2026. In eight innings, he has only scored 146 runs at an average of 20.85 and a strike rate of 136.44, with a best of 40. The 32-year-old has not played a match since May 2 due to injury and fitness issues.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo Timeout, Ashwin observed a pattern in Pandya’s batting this IPL season and even raised questions over his fitness. The Indian spin legend commented:

“With his batting, I found something quite interesting and strange, which is how late he’s been on the ball. Is he going through something physically. We wouldn’t be able to know that if there is something, then maybe that physical aspect will bring him back. And if he gets better, he’ll come back to it. But he’s been late on the hard-length deliveries.

“He’s not someone who’s going to miss hard-length deliveries. He hits it 15 rows back. That’s a bit of a concern for me, whether he’s suffering something physically from a back issue or hands, or does he have a tennis elbow? Is his bat heavier [than it should be]? Does he need to recalibrate that? Those are things that I would want to know,” Ashwin added.

In the match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk on May 2, Pandya was dismissed for 18 off 23 balls. He managed only two fours during this stay at the crease before being caught at deep-midwicket off Anshul Kamboj’s bowling.

“Once-in-a-generation player” – Ashwin hails MI skipper

Despite his horror IPL 2026 season with bat, ball, and as captain as well, Ashwin has backed Pandya to make a strong comeback. The former India cricketer described Pandya as once-in-a-generation player and added that he is bound to have one bad season. The 39-year-old elabaorated:

“Hardik is once-in-a-generation player. You don’t find such players. And if India finds itself in a certain T20 mastery now, Hardik’s been a linchpin in that. And to me, Hardik, the player, you can have a bad season. It’s digestible for me. Especially after you had a World Cup like that. Hardik likes a bit of space. He kind of stays in his own zone.”

Meanwhile, MI’s next match in IPL 2026 will be against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on May 20.