Under Hardik Pandya, Mi have qualified for IPL playoffs only once in 2025.
MI just couldn’t gather any momentum, and if they won one game, they lost the next three. Hardik Pandya wasn’t at his best with the bat or the ball, and some of his captaincy and tactical decisions were slammed by the cricketing fraternity.
Now, as per a PTI report, Hardik Pandya is set to quit the franchise and has conveyed this to the team management mid-season. The 32-year-old had taken over MI captaincy after being traded in from the Gujarat Titans and replacing Rohit Sharma at the helm.
However, the decision backfired as fans turned on Hardik Pandya and MI management for removing Rohit Sharma, and he was booed at all venues across the country. Things got complicated when MI failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished 10th on the points table.
Hardik’s captaincy and MI’s fortunes improved in IPL 2025, where MI made it into the playoffs, but a poor IPL 2026 tournament performance has led to Hardik Pandya reportedly calling it quits as MI captain.
It is reported that Pandya and MI came to an agreement to part ways when the playoff dreams were shattered with a few of the games remaining.
"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. 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," an IPL source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
The IPL source said his patience has finally run out.
"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.
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," the source further said.
The report also stated that Hardik Pandya wasn’t happy about several senior players in MI not giving their 100% under his captaincy, while demanding that he do so when he plays for India.
It is, however, not clear whether Pandya is looking at a trade deal with another team or would prefer to enter the auction pool.
"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,” the source concluded.
Before the 2027 auction, the Mumbai Indians must start over, but there is still another IPL season to get through.
It will be intriguing to observe if MI chooses a temporary fix or concentrates on the long term. Rohit Sharma, their five-time IPL champion and still the greatest name in that dressing room, is the best captain for the near future.
Tilak Varma, who is also a captaincy option being considered by the BCCI selectors, might be named his deputy during the transition.
(PTI inputs)