Why does my iPad charge when the cable is bent

Ok, so your ipad only charges if you put some sort of pressure on the cable?

There could be a short inside the ipad, or there could be some lint/dust inside the charging port that is messing things up.

If your device is still under warranty I’d make an appointment at an authorized service provider or Apple Store to have it checked out. If it’s not under warranty you can try to look in the port (probably with a magnifying glass and light) and see if you see anything.

That said, no one can really recommend that you go digging in the port - you could do damage or make things worse.

Do you mean does or doesn’t? If moving a cable alters how it works then it’s very likely there’s a broken wire or short in the cable and you should replace it.