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Mumbai Indians (MI) campaign for the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 ended way back. Hardik Pandya and his team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second time in the span of three years. The star all-rounder has been criticised for his poor leadership qualities on and off the field. There have been reports of MI possibly sacking Pandya as captain.
Reportedly, Hardik Pandya might also leave the franchise after his second stint in MI, joining from the Gujarat Titans (GT) back in the 2023 season. Since then, nothing has worked for the all-rounder after being handed over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma. Amidst all the chaos, the former India captain has now deactivated his Instagram account.
Hardik Pandya removes Instagram
The Instagram account of Hardik Pandya has surprisingly disappeared after being searched in the Instagram app, and the website does not show Hardik’s account. Instead of his account, the message “Sorry, this page isn’t available” appears. There has been no information about whether the account is deleted or deactivated. He has been facing backlash in recent times.
Hardik Pandya has now deactivated his Instagram account. WTF he is doing now?😭 pic.twitter.com/ruz9vBd84n
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) May 27, 2026
This incident happens right after Hardik Pandya posted a suspicious post on his Instagram account, sparking speculations. The post featured rumored girlfriend Mahieka Sharma but did not include any photos with his Mumbai Indians teammates, leading to discussions among fans. Apart from that, he posted a story showing a phone screen with the time ‘07:07’, which went viral.
Will Pandya join CSK next season?
The fans are speculating it to be MS Dhoni’s iconic jersey number and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). There have been reports that, with Pandya being traded to the Yellow Army, in terms of two cricketers, Ayush Mhatre and Shivam Dube, are joining the Blues for the upcoming season. However, these are just rumours and reports with nothing being confirmed yet.
Under Hardik Pandya, MI won just four games this season and finished 9th in the points table. They lost their 10th and final game at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, against the Rajasthan Royals last Saturday. Since joining in 2023 as a skipper, he has led in 33 IPL matches, securing 14 wins and suffering 19 losses, resulting in a captaincy win percentage of 42.4%.
Mumbai Indians unhappy with Pandya’s captaincy
Mumbai Indians management is also not happy with Hardik’s captaincy. They are planning to replace him, as the team has qualified for the playoffs twice in the past six years, which has been a concern for the five-time champions who used to dominate the IPL like no one. Even Jasprit Bumrah has failed to create much impact this season.
CSK may be looking for a successor to Dhoni, as Ruturaj Gaikwad has struggled to lead the team since taking over leadership, while MI is facing calls for a leadership change, as the speculations goes intense to an already active off-season. However, Sanju Samson is there for CSK who can lead the side and Pandya can play as an all-rounder for the Men in Yellow.
Also Read: LSG boss mocks Gujarat Titans and SRH with “predictable” remark amid IPL 2026
