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Mumbai Indians vs Hardik Pandya IPL 2026: With regular captain Hardik Pandya missing from the playing XI, Mumbai Indians suffered a thrilling two-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Match No. 54 of Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium on Sunday, May 10.
The defeat officially knocked MI out of the IPL 2026 playoffs race, making them the second team after Lucknow Super Giants to be eliminated this season. However, more than Mumbai’s disappointing campaign, it was the off-field buzz surrounding Hardik Pandya that triggered massive debate on social media.
Soon after MI’s defeat to RCB, rumours began circulating online claiming that Hardik Pandya had unfollowed the Mumbai Indians on Instagram. Fans also noticed that his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma, was no longer following the franchise on the platform. The speculation intensified because Hardik has missed MI’s last two matches, with Suryakumar Yadav leading the side in his absence. Before the RCB clash in Raipur, the Baroda-born all-rounder had also missed Mumbai’s previous game against LSG due to back spasms.
Did Hardik Pandya Unfollow Mumbai Indians on Instagram?
According to several reports and screenshots shared across social media platforms, Hardik Pandya had briefly unfollowed the Mumbai Indians on Instagram. However, as the speculation gathered momentum online, fans noticed that the Indian all-rounder had started following the franchise once again. Several fan pages and social media users highlighted the development, while a few journalists also reacted to the rumours surrounding the ongoing situation between Hardik and the MI camp.
Amidst all the drama of Hardik Pandya following-unfollowing Mumbai Indians on SM, it will be interesting to see if he plays the next or the remaining MI games.
— Rahul Rawat (@rawatrahul9) May 10, 2026
Hardik first unfollowed Mumbai and then followed….
— Abhishek Tripathi / Abhishek Tripathi (@abhishereporter) May 10, 2026
It was also speculated online that Hardik had removed some collaborative posts related to Mumbai Indians from his Instagram profile. However, at the time of writing, Hardik’s official account was once again following MI, calming speculation surrounding a possible fallout — at least for now.
Meanwhile, Mahieka Sharma, who has often been spotted supporting Mumbai Indians during IPL 2026 matches, is currently not following the franchise on Instagram.
How Has Mumbai Indians Performed Under Hardik Pandya’s Captaincy?
After leading Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their debut season in 2022, Hardik Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians in an all-cash deal, touted as the biggest trade in IPL history, ahead of IPL 2024 This time with an added responsibility of leading the five-time champions.
Under Hardik’s captaincy, Gujarat Titans finished at the top of the points table during the league stages in both 2022 and 2023. However, he struggled to replicate the same success with the men in blue, MI.
🚨 After all the social media backlash, Hardik Pandya has started following Mumbai Indians on Instagram again, but he has already removed all the collab posts.
He is just trying to behave normally, but everyone knows he has been sacked as Mumbai Indians captain and wants to… pic.twitter.com/hhV63X4XWL
— TEJASH (@Tejashyyyyy) May 10, 2026
Mumbai Indians endured a group-stage exit in IPL 2024 before staging a strong comeback in IPL 2025, where they narrowly missed out on a place in the final after losing Qualifier 2. In IPL 2026, MI won just three of their 11 matches before crashing out of the playoff race.
Is Everything Fine Between Hardik Pandya And Mumbai Indians Owners?
Several unverified reports on social media have claimed that there may be tension between Hardik Pandya and sections of the Mumbai Indians management. Speculation grew after reports suggested that MI were among the franchises that had approached the BCCI regarding stricter off-field guidelines involving players and their families staying at team hotels.
According to online rumours, Hardik was reportedly unhappy with certain developments and allegedly had discussions with franchise officials. However, there has been no official confirmation from either the Mumbai Indians or Hardik Pandya regarding these claims.
Hardik Pandya’s IPL 2026 Performance So Far
By his high standards, Hardik Pandya has endured a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign so far. The MI skipper has scored 146 runs in eight matches at an average of 20.86 and a strike rate of over 135.
With the ball, Hardik has picked up four wickets but has struggled to make a consistent impact for the Mumbai Indians during a difficult season for the franchise.
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