Hardik Pandya's potential return to Gujarat Titans (GT) reportedly fell through because he demanded to be reinstated as team captain.

According to The Indian Express, the Titans, whom Pandya led to the IPL title in their inaugural season before moving to Mumbai Indians (MI) two years ago, were open to taking the star all-rounder back and had even cleared the move with current skipper Shubman Gill, but rejected the deal once the leadership condition was set.

“The franchise was fine with him making a return. They had even discussed the same with its captain Shubman Gill, and he, too, had agreed that the franchise could trade him back. But when his condition of captaincy was put up, everyone said no to it,” the publication quoted a source as saying.

When contacted, a Gujarat Titans representative refrained from making a comment on this matter.

“Hardik Pandya had no direct conversation with any franchise whatsoever regarding transfer trade, or otherwise. If any approach has been made to him, that has been directed to the MI franchise,” Pandya’s spokesperson said, as quoted by The Indian Express.

According to multiple reports, Hardik Pandya parting ways with MI is only a matter of time, following a disastrous IPL 2026 campaign, where the franchise finished ninth on the 10-team points table with just 4 wins from 14 matches.

The 32-year-old returned to his old IPL team in the leadership capacity ahead of the 2024 season. However, he was booed at MI's home ground, the Wankhede Stadium, primarily because he replaced the legendary and beloved captain, Rohit Sharma.

The booing intensified as MI struggled on the field, finishing at the very bottom of the points table in 2024. Though the team reached the playoffs in 2025, further struggles in 2026 led to calls for his removal from the captaincy role.

On a personal front, Hardik Pandya had a below-par season for Mumbai Indians. In 10 matches, he scored 206 runs at an average of 22.89 and a strike rate of 138.25. It was one of the lowest-scoring seasons of his career, with a top score of just 40. His impact with the ball was severely limited as he managed to pick up just 4 wickets during the tournament.

He also had to sit out a few crucial games during the latter half of the season, notably dealing with recurring back spasms.