Very average move: Ashwin on Pandya giving ball to Markande when Patidar came to bat

Ex-India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin criticised Hardik Pandya's captaincy after RCB defeated MI by 18 runs in their IPL 2026 match. "Rajat Patidar is a monster hitter against spinners. When he came to bat, you gave the ball to Mayank Markande straight away? Not the smartest of moves. Very, very average," he said. Notably, Patidar smashed Markande for three consecutive sixes.