The Indian team had a forgettable outing against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match in Ahmedabad. The side suffered a defeat by 76 runs. After the loss, Team Indian members have been criticised on social media as they have been spotted with their partners on off days during the tournament.
BCCI’s new rules
The BCCI had earlier barred wives and family members of cricket players from accompanying them for not more than 14 days on a 45-day long tour, alongside making it compulsory for all team members to travel together in the team bus.
As per a report in Dainik Jagran, the board reintroduced the old rule. “Keeping in view the team unity, now all the players will travel by the team bus only. No matter how big a player is, he will not be allowed to travel separately,” read the report.
There have been videos on social media going viral where Hardik is spotted with girlfriend Mahieka Sharma. He was also seen celebrating the model’s birthday earlier.
India looks done for this World Cup Hardik Pandya isn’t serious at all rather than focusing on game he is busy with his girlfriend all day Even captain Surya is hanging around with his wife. How family allowed with them in such a high stake tournament is beyond me. pic.twitter.com/Gn8uugwOA6
— JB (@93Yorker) February 24, 2026
Hardik Pandya celebrating Maheika Sharma’s birthday.
Simple birthday vibespic.twitter.com/vefPvHQVy2
— Sarthak P (@sarthakNowLive) February 20, 2026
Suryakumar Yadav’s wife was also spotted in the stands and has reportedly been travelling with the team.
India’s Performance
The Indian team reached the Super 8 stage after winning all their group matches in the T20 World Cup 2026. But the start of Super 8 stage turned out to be a forgettable outing as the side suffered a massive 76-run defeated against South Africa. The Proteas posted 187/7 in 20 overs in Ahmedabad after David Miller struck 63 off 35. Dewald Brevis chipped in with 45 off 29 while Tristan Stubbs remained unbeaten at 44 off 24.
Later, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj rattled the Indian batting unit as they scalped a total of 7 wickets among themselves. The hosts never got the momentum they needed and lost wickets regularly before getting bundled out eventually. They will now take on Zimbabwe on Thursday.
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