All eyes would be on skipper Hardik Pandya when Mumbai Indians begins their IPL 2026 campaign on their home turf against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday. But MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene is confident of Pandya’s leadership ability.
“The first time I met Hardik was in 2017. Young, raw talent with a lot of energy and that is something I have admired in Hardik. Even today, with that energy to play the game, he is something special. He is quite passionate about the game of cricket and talks a lot about it. I have been with MI for eight years, and it is amazing to see his growth when it comes to leadership, maturity on the field, and how he has evolved, probably one of the best allrounders in white-ball cricket,” Jayawardene was quoted saying.
The former Sri Lanka captain added that Pandya’s work ethics has always set him apart. “When he started out, we had to pull him back a little because he was like a power house on the move…with the bat, ball, and on the field. The younger Hardik’s work ethic was brilliant back then.”
Jayawardene also pointed to the injury setback that the allrounder had in his 10-year-old career so far. But he credited Pandya for handling his workload really well.
“The injuries that he later had took a toll on his body, as he was also playing Test cricket. A lot of workload management had to happen. Now he understands this, and we have a structured way of handling his workload. Managing a player once they get to that important stage in their career is important,” Jayawardene said.
“His skill and work ethics are brilliant even today…the training bit, working on his fitness during the season and off it too. It is good to see how he has evolved as a person and player,” he added.
The MI coach also has the concern of picking the right XI from game one, but he sees it as a “healthy headache” to have.
“It is a healthy headache to have so many good options. We play different oppositions in different conditions. Once we play in Mumbai, then we have two back-to-back away matches. We will need those options; squad depth is something that is very important for various reasons. It could be for injuries or different conditions that is something that we always constantly think about.
“Having experience on the bench helps. Sometimes it is tough that we have amazing players
sitting out, but that is what it is. That is part and parcel of franchise cricket. It is our job to create an atmosphere where everyone is happy, and everyone plays for that one goal, which is for the team,” said Jayawardene.
