Hardik Pandya: Indian cricket team's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been out of the field for a long time due to injury. They are continuously getting out of every major tournament and series. Now Hardik is not even a part of the domestic cricket Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. When Baroda Cricket Association announced its 15-member team for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026, Hardik Pandya's name was missing in it. This news both disappointed and surprised the fans, because in Hardik's absence, his elder brother Krunal Pandya was appointed the captain of Baroda. Everyone wants to know what happened to Hardik, how serious is his injury and when will he return to the blue jersey? As a fast bowling all-rounder, Hardik Pandya is the most important player for the balance of the Indian team. So, let us understand the entire injury story of Hardik Pandya, BCCI's plan and his comeback in simple words in this article.
What injuries has Hardik Pandya suffered?
Hardik Pandya's biggest problem is the increased pressure in the main bone of his lower leg, which is called tibial bone stress in medical language. Due to continuous running and heavy load of bowling, the inner part of this bone has become swollen. If there is no rest during this period, it can lead to a serious fracture. Apart from this, during the rehab in Bengaluru, he has also suffered a strain in the front muscle of the thigh which supports his leg, which is called quadriceps strain. This often happens when the body, while recovering from an injury, puts more stress on another area.
Along with leg problems, Hardik is also struggling with his chronic back pain. During the matches of IPL 2026, severe stiffness was observed in his back muscles, which is called back spasm. Due to this stiffness in his back, he was not able to bowl freely, which had a negative impact on both the sharpness and speed of his bowling. This is the reason why the BCCI medical team is keeping him away from the field and rehabbing him to completely cure both his legs and back.
When did Hardik get injured and how did the matter become so serious?
Hardik Pandya's injury history is quite old, but this year his condition has worsened after IPL 2026. He played his last match for Mumbai Indians on 24 May 2026 and since then he has been away from the field. As soon as the IPL ended, he was given complete rest and sent to BCCI's new Center of Excellence in Bengaluru to improve his fitness.
In September 2026, fans thought that Hardik had completely recovered as he was selected in the India A squad against Australia A, but as soon as he started increasing the fast bowling load in the nets, his old leg pain resurfaced. To avoid any major danger, he was immediately dropped from the series. From then till now, the medical team is not rushing him and is paying attention to his recovery with utmost care.
Hardik Pandya has not been picked in the Baroda squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The 33-year-old is still rehabilitating from a tibial bone stress. He has been out of action since IPL 2026 🤕 pic.twitter.com/ispAQb8dRb
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) November 7, 2026
Why can't Hardik play only as a batsman?
Fans often raise this question that if Hardik is able to bat and run lightly, then why doesn't he just play as a pure batsman? The direct answer to this is related to the balance of the team. Team India does not have any other player in the lower middle order (number 6 or 7) who can bowl fast at a speed of 140 km/h and also finish the match. If Hardik only bats, the entire balance of the team will be disturbed and India will be missing an extra bowler.
According to the report of Cricbuzz, the BCCI medical team has given clear instructions to the Baroda Cricket Association that Hardik will return only when he is 100% pain free and fit to bowl the full quota. In fact, when a fast bowler's front foot hits the ground while bowling, 8 to 10 times the pressure of his body weight comes on the foot. If a half-fit Hardik makes such a landing, the minor stress on his shin bone can turn into a serious fracture, which will put his entire cricket career in danger.
When can Hardik Pandya return to the field?
According to the roadmap prepared by the BCCI medical team in mid-October, Hardik Pandya has to go through a very careful process. He could not enter the field directly after his injury, so in the first phase he was only given exercises to strengthen the muscles in the gym. In the subsequent stages, the plan was to gradually increase his running and sprinting workload from 20% to 100%. The medical team is constantly checking every week whether pain or swelling is occurring again due to increased load on the bone of his leg.
In the final stage, when Hardik becomes comfortable in running at full speed without any pain and is 100% fit and comfortable in net bowling, only then will he be allowed to play competitive cricket. Due to this tough recovery process, he has also been ruled out of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starting in November. The simple and clear meaning of this entire situation is that it is impossible for Hardik Pandya to take the field in the remaining 2 months of the year 2026. He will also be out of the upcoming limited overs series and fans will be able to see his return to the field only in the beginning of 2027.
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