Deepak Chahar's Sister Takes a Dig at Hardik? Malti Praises Suryakumar's Captaincy, Says:

The excitement of IPL 2026 has reached a fever pitch among fans. As the tournament draws closer to its conclusion, the battle for the playoffs is becoming increasingly intriguing. On Monday, Mumbai Indians defeated Lucknow Super Giants to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Batting first, Lucknow posted a total of 228 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Mumbai successfully chased down the target in 18.4 overs, losing four wickets in the process. Hardik Pandya did not feature in this match, and Suryakumar Yadav stepped in to captain the side in his absence.

Following the match, Malti Chahar—sister of MI pacer Deepak Chahar—shared a post that fans are interpreting as a subtle dig at Hardik Pandya. Prior to this match, Mumbai had lost seven of their nine games under Hardik's captaincy. Malti wrote that the match against Lucknow offered a glimpse of the "old Mumbai Indians." She also took the opportunity to praise Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy.

Malti wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "That feeling of the 'real' Mumbai Indians is back! Almost every player delivered a brilliant performance. Well played, Ryan Rickelton and Rohit *bhaiya*! Suryakumar's captaincy was also superb. And Deepak bowled his full quota of four overs—excellent bowling, brother! This was truly a team effort. This is the Mumbai Indians!"

Fans are viewing this post as a veiled jibe at Hardik. Hardik's captaincy has also been facing intense criticism recently. This victory came as a major relief for the five-time champions, keeping their playoff aspirations alive. The Mumbai team currently sits in ninth place on the points table, while Lucknow occupies the bottom spot.

Regular captain Hardik Pandya was unable to play in this match due to back spasms. Prior to this game, Deepak Chahar had not even been getting the opportunity to bowl his full quota of four overs. Although he conceded 43 runs in his four overs against Lucknow, he failed to pick up any wickets. Deepak conceded just 15 runs in his final two overs, a contribution that proved crucial in restricting the Lucknow Super Giants to 228 runs.

Speaking after the match, acting captain Surya said, "To be honest, we have found ourselves in such situations several times this season. This was nothing new for us. I knew that in T20 cricket, the period between the 7th and 10th overs—following the Powerplay—is the most critical phase, as it is where the match can turn around. We knew that if we could pick up a couple of wickets here and there, we could gain a foothold in the contest. The way all the bowlers responded demonstrated a magnificent spirit." He further added, "By around the eighth or ninth over, Lucknow had already scored 110 or 120 runs for the loss of just one or two wickets—I don't recall the exact figures. But to restrict them to 228 from that point onwards was simply fantastic."