The five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians (MI) saga has now reached the absolute boiling point. As the cricketing world gears up for their crucial Match 65 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Eden Gardens on May 20, 2026, one burning question looms large – is Hardik Pandya all set to play his last match in the legendary Blue and Gold jersey?
Under pressure MI skipper had a golden opportunity to silence his critics after returning to the playing XI after a long struggle with severe back spasms that kept him out of games. Instead, his performance on a sticky and treacherous Eden Gardens surface only added to the already raging fire. Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane made the correct decision and decided to bowl first but the top order of Mumbai Indians crumbled spectacularly, leaving them reeling at four wickets down in the powerplay and eventually finishing on 147/8.
A Painful Struggle at the Crease and Public Fallout
Hardik Pandya never looked comfortable as he had to rebuild the innings with Tilak Varma. The dynamic all-rounder was bereft of his explosive timing on a pitch that was in favour of KKR’s disciplined bowling unit. He made his way to a sluggish 26 off 27 balls, with two boundaries and a solitary six.
Hardik’s strike rate of under 100 choked the middle overs badly instead of anchoring a competitive total. Eventually, when he was sacked, he left the side in a huge hole, virtually killing off any hopes of a late innings flourish.
The on-field struggles have been unending and the public frustration high, leading to rampant speculation of an imminent exit in the off-season. These rumours have gathered pace after former India captain and chief selector Kris Srikkanth recently predicted on his YouTube channel that Mumbai Indians are ready to part ways with their captain.
“Looks like there’s no news, no official update from anyone. It feels like they’ve basically said, ‘You’re not needed anymore, you can leave.’ Either they will release him, or they’ll just say, ‘Thanks bro, thanks for everything,’ and move on,” Srikkanth stated.
The digital writing on the wall got even clearer when eagle-eyed fans noticed a dramatic social media “unfollow and follow” saga. Hardik reportedly unfollowed the official Mumbai Indians account on Instagram after a heartbreaking loss to RCB.
Solo Training, Franchise Calls, and the BCCI ‘No-Girlfriend’ Crackdown
The gap between Hardik and the franchise has spilt into his training routines in a big way. As seen on social media, Hardik has become more and more isolated from the collective ecosystem of the squad, even practicing totally alone in solo training sessions rather than coordinating with team drills. A Revsportz report also dropped a bombshell claiming that Hardik’s camp has already started exploring life post-MI with discreet exploratory calls to prominent franchises across North and South India to gauge their interest ahead of the next mega-auction.
At the same time, Hardik’s high-profile personal life has put him squarely in the sights of a major administrative shift. His much talked about affair with model and actress Mahieka Sharma, who has been closely tagged by fans as his ‘good luck charm’, has become the talk of the town, with even viral gossip pointing towards a possible wedding in Udaipur on May 22.
But this public relationship comes as the BCCI wages a new, aggressive crackdown on ‘girlfriend culture’ in the IPL. The BCCI is in the process of drawing up a strict policy that will not allow non-family partners and girlfriends from travelling or staying in team hotels with serious concerns about player discipline, professionalism and the risk of internal team issues leaking out. The reports specifically mention that the trend of “official girlfriends” dominating the franchise environment has irked the authorities, a policy change that directly impacts high-profile stars like Hardik who travel with their partners frequently.
Hardik Pandya’s second innings with Mumbai Indians appears to be reaching a bitter end between crawling for 26 runs at Eden Gardens, calling external franchises and navigating sweeping board crackdowns on his lifestyle.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
