All you need to know about Hardik Pandya IPL future

The IPL 2026 league phase has been concluded, and Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians failed to qualify for the playoffs. It means that the dream of winning an IPL title under Hardik Pandya's captaincy diminished for the third consecutive year. The team finished in 9th place at the conclusion of the league stage, managing to register wins in a mere four matches throughout the entire season; consequently, the wait for a sixth title for this five-time champion team has been extended by another year. 

The team grappled with injuries to several key players and poor form throughout the season, a struggle that forced MI—widely considered a strong contender before the tournament's commencement—to endure one of its worst seasons to date. The injury list included names such as former captain Rohit Sharma, Mitchell Santner, and Hardik Pandya himself, while star players like Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Jasprit Bumrah struggled with poor form throughout the season. A portion of the blame for the team's failure is also being laid upon captain Hardik Pandya, who flopped miserably in both the batting and bowling departments this season, while his captaincy, too, remained distinctly mediocre.

Now, some reports believe that the Mumbai Indians are considering releasing Hardik Pandya, or he could be traded to the Delhi Capitals. There are even reports surfacing that he might join the Chennai Super Kings—particularly following his recent Instagram story, which is being linked to CSK. But there has been no official confirmation of this yet.

Backing Hardik Pandya's captaincy, Mumbai Indians coach Kieron Pollard stated that he had good opportunities to lead the team, but things did not go according to plan for him as captain.

“Yes, it has not gone maybe as well as he would have wanted as an individual. It might not have gone the way we would have wanted as a management staff. But one thing you know is that we have tried each and everything to give the best opportunity to lead the franchise and do well,” Pollard said.

Pollard also shared his views regarding the future of Hardik Pandya with MI, stating that the matter will be given due consideration. We have 12 months until the next season, and we will make every effort to stage a tremendous comeback.

"You sit, you talk, see what’s best. Never know what’s going to happen. For us, let’s just lick our wounds in the meantime and hopefully come back stronger in 12 months’ time," he added. 

"It’s going to be thorough. Guys are going to sit back and think about what’s needed,” Pollard said. “There’s nowhere near the time to make unnecessary statements on stuff that we’re not going to do right now.”