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Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya briefly unfollowed the franchise on Instagram amid speculation of a rift after the team's exit from IPL 2026. He returned to following them shortly after, as the team struggled in the league.
Chennai, May 02 (ANI): Mumbai Indians' Skipper Hardik Pandya bowls during the Indian Premier League 2026 match against Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai on Saturday. (ANI Photo)(ANI Picture Service)Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya seemed to have briefly unfollowed the franchise amid the team's exit from IPL 2026.
Mumbai Indians were officially knocked out of IPL 2026 following a two-wicket loss to defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Raipur on Sunday.
The five-time champions are currently reeling in ninth place with just six points from 11 matches.
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Yes, Hardik Pandya briefly unfollowed the Mumbai Indians' official Instagram account for a short period after their IPL 2026 exit. The account was visible again shortly after.
Hardik Pandya was not cleared to take the field by the Mumbai Indians' medical team for the IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He had also missed the previous game due to fitness concerns.
In eight matches of IPL 2026, Hardik Pandya scored 146 runs at a strike rate of 136.44, without registering a single fifty. He also missed three games due to a back spasm.
Mumbai Indians had a disappointing IPL 2026 season, sitting in ninth place with six points from 11 matches after a loss to RCB. They had secured only three wins and suffered seven losses in their first 10 matches.
Suryakumar Yadav, the stand-in captain, chose young all-rounder Raj Bawa to bowl the crucial final over against RCB in IPL 2026. Yadav trusted Bawa due to his consistent practice and improvement throughout the season.
For a short time after the game, Hardik's “following” list on Instagram reportedly showed just 150 accounts, with the Mumbai Indians not being among them.
Hardik Pandya “unfollows” MI
However, just a few minutes later, Hardik Pandya's following list increased by one to 151, and the Mumbai Indians account was visible once again.
This short period when Hardik was not following the Mumbai Indians led fans to speculate about a rift between Hardik and the franchise. Some of them even wondered if Hardik had accidentally unfollowed or if it was a technical glitch.
Several social media users even shared screenshots of Hardik's following list, wherein the Mumbai Indians account was absent.
The Baroda all-rounder made his IPL debut with the Mumbai Indians in 2015, and played for them till 2021, before switching to the Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of the 2022 season.
He led the Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title win in their debut season in 2022, but returned to the Mumbai Indians in a blockbuster move ahead of IPL 2024.
He was made the new MI captain upon his return, replacing Rohit Sharma. This move divided the MI fanbase, with several fans booing him at the toss of a few matches of IPL 2024. Mumbai Indians endured a 10th-place finish in IPL 2024, but went on to make the playoffs in IPL 2025, where they lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2.
In eight matches in the IPL 2026 edition, Hardik has scored just 146 runs at a strike rate of 136.44. He hasn't scored a single fifty thus far.
Hardik has been struggling with a back spasm and has hence missed three games this season. Overall, the 32-year-old has played 160 IPL matches, scoring 2895 runs and taking 82 wickets.
Mumbai Indians will next be in action on Thursday, when they will take on Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.
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