Hardik Pandya‘s second coming at the Mumbai Indians hasn’t gone according to plan, and all signs are now leading towards the all-rounder making his way out. According to a PTI report, the 32-year-old has already informed the management about his decision to leave the franchise, and as things stand, one cannot expect the swashbuckling star to sport the blue Mumbai Indians jersey in the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the IPL 2026 edition, the Mumbai Indians finished ninth in the points table, winning only four out of 14 matches.
Hardik even missed a few matches due to a back spasm, and even his own performance with both bat and ball wasn’t that great. Hardik, who joined the Mumbai Indians in 2024 as the new captain, failed to inspire the team in the three years at the helm. In 2024, the Mumbai Indians fans turned on Hardik after the latter replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain. The franchise finished last in the points table. However, the next season saw the five-time champions find their mojo, and the team reached Qualifier 2.
However, the 2026 season once again saw the Mumbai Indians failing to click as a unit, and the latest edition of the tournament proved to be the final nail in the coffin, with Hardik losing patience with the management and the senior players in the side.
“Hardik was mentally stressed and completely exhausted. He had also sustained a back injury. In fact, once the play-off hopes were dashed, Hardik informed the decision-makers that he wouldn’t be staying back,” news agency PTI quoted a source as saying.
“Please understand that Hardik is only 32. He returned to MI in 2024 when he was 30. He was booed in the first year, and this season, too, things didn’t go according to plan,” the source added.
‘He’s done’
Hardik, who just took four wickets with the ball in the IPL 2026 season, informed the Mumbai Indians management about his decision midway through the tournament once the franchise was formally out of the playoff race. To make matters worse for the franchise, it has also come to light that all the senior players in the setup weren’t on the same page.
When Hardik missed the IPL 2026 games due to a back spasm, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah filled in as the stand-in captains.
“There is only so much that a young man can take. The last three years haven’t been easy for him. The MI dressing room that he had left in 2021 wasn’t the same when he returned in 2024. Not every senior player was on the same page,” said the source.
“If results come despite divergent views, you still won’t feel frustrated. But when everyone pulls in different directions, after a point, you don’t have the mental bandwidth to carry on. So, Hardik had decided mid-season that he wouldn’t be part of MI next season. One thing is for sure. He is done with MI. Closer to August, one might get some indication about what his next move will be,” he added.
The PTI report also claimed that Pandya was deeply “hurt” by the senior players of the franchise, who had demanded 100 per cent commitment from him when he played for India, but did not return the favour when he was leading the Mumbai Indians.
