Hardik Pandya's Instagram account has been deleted. Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, is quite active on social media. But on Wednesday evening, Pandya's account showed the message: "Sorry, this page isn't available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed. Go back to Instagram." He had over 40 million followers. The move follows MI's unceremonious exit from IPL 2026. The five-time champions could win only four out of 14 matches and finished the league in 9th place, only above Lucknow Super Giants.
Hardik had a challenging campaign, even from an individual standpoint, scoring just 146 runs in 8 innings and taking only 3 wickets.
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer stated that while he wouldn't want Hardik to continue as MI captain next year, the franchise should definitely retain him to let him focus purely on his individual game.
"I will not make him the captain, but he will surely be retained. I want him to open up and get the best out of him," Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.
When asked to name Hardik's replacement as captain, Jaffer added: "At this stage, it would be hard to pick a captain."
MI finished a disappointing ninth in the 10-team points table after suffering a 30-run loss to Rajasthan Royals in their final league game here - their 10th defeat in 14 matches.
Source: NDTV
