Hardik Pandya’s relationship with the Mumbai Indians may be taking another unexpected twist, with fresh social-media talk suggesting he briefly unfollowed the franchise on Instagram before switching back after MI’s latest thriller against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The reported incident follows a Sunday match in which Bengaluru edged Mumbai in dramatic fashion on the final delivery. However, the key word here is “apparently”: without screenshots or any hard evidence, the episode could simply be rumour. Still, considering how the IPL 2026 campaign has gone for MI, it’s a storyline that refuses to go away. Pandya has also missed the last three matches. While the team’s explanation has pointed to a back spasm, his own late-night activity in the nets has raised eyebrows—he posted a training video at 1:30 AM, appearing to work without obvious discomfort, which only deepens the intrigue around his availability and situation.
The controversy has since crossed into wider cricket discussion, drawing attention from former England captains Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook. In a recent episode of the Stick to Cricket podcast, the duo analysed the so-called Instagram “drama” involving Pandya, with the YouTube description framing it as disrespectful towards the franchise. Cook reacted sharply to the reports, asking rhetorically whether unfollowing a club in the modern game counts as a major “diss.” Vaughan, in response, described it as a “low blow.” Their conversation also looped in the injury angle, with Cook questioning whether the ailment was genuine. Vaughan’s reply was pointed: Pandya may have been injured, but MI still lost to RCB off the last ball—an outcome that inevitably feeds into speculation about what was truly going on behind the scenes.
As the discussion broadened, Vaughan did not hold back in his assessment of the situation, calling it the “ultimate disrespect” as he and the other panellists—Phil Tufnell and David Lloyd—joked about the wider fallout. Vaughan then reflected on Pandya’s move to Mumbai from Gujarat Titans in late 2023, admitting he was surprised by the extent of MI’s downturn after the trade. The defeat to RCB ended MI’s chances of reaching the playoffs this season, leaving them as the second side—after Lucknow Super Giants—to be eliminated from the race.
Vaughan’s critique centred on the gap between the talent on paper and the results on the field. He pointed out that Pandya went to Gujarat and won, while Mumbai acquired him but have struggled in a major way. He went further, arguing that this has been one of the most disappointing stretches in tournament cricket, saying that with a squad featuring players like Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, MI’s overall performance has been among the worst he has seen from a group with that level of ability. His view was firm: the franchise has not merely underperformed—it has looked like a team in free fall.
That sentiment is backed by MI’s recent playoff record. It is the fourth time in the past six years that Mumbai have failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs. They reached the top four in 2023 and 2025, yet finished with the wooden spoon in 2022 and 2024. With their current standings placing them second from bottom and only three matches remaining, MI now face the real possibility of ending the season at the bottom once again—turning a campaign already filled with controversy and questions into a potentially defining low point for the franchise.
