Have Mumbai Indians lost faith in Hardik Pandya’s leadership? Will the all-rounder get to play another match in IPL 2026?

The official line is that he has back spasms and will only play once fully fit. However, it is understood that Pandya no more enjoys the confidence of the team management.

The five-time champions, who are languishing at the bottom of the table, failed to make the playoffs after their loss to RCB in Raipur on Sunday.

Pandya has 146 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 136.44 besides claiming four wickets at an economy of 11.90. Despite travelling to Raipur, he wasn’t present at the stadium.

He triggered further speculation around his future after reportedly unfollowing the franchise on Instagram on Sunday, but later Mumbai Indians once again appeared among the accounts followed by Pandya. The activity quickly went viral on social media, with many linking it to growing rumours of a fallout with the team management.

Some linked it to an accidental unfollow, a technical glitch or a genuine moment of frustration after the loss.

Suryakumar Yadav has led Mumbai in the two matches in Pandya’s absence and it won’t be surprising if the franchise has already made up its
mind on having a new captain next season.

“Hardik had a back issue which we were trying to rectify, but it hasn’t settled in yet. So the medical guys were working on him. He couldn’t train the last few days, so we didn’t want to take a risk. So we’ll see. It’s on a day-to-day basis. See how he feels. And then we’ll make a decision on that,” head coach Mahela Jayawardene said.

Many think it would be prudent to try out new faces since Pandya has struggled to maintain a balance between leadership and performance. Mumbai have lost eight and won three matches so far.

Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians in 2024 after spending two seasons as Gujarat Titans captain. Since taking over the mantle of captaincy from Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians finished last in 2024 and made the playoffs last season.