(Image source from: english.gujaratsamachar.com)

Hardik Pandya's Instagram page has been removed. Pandya, who leads the Mumbai Indians, is very active online. However, on Wednesday evening, his account displayed a message saying: "Sorry, this page isn't available. The link you followed may not work, or the page might have been deleted. Return to Instagram. " He had millions of followers. This occurred after MI's abrupt departure from IPL 2026. The team, which has won the championship five times, managed to win only four out of fourteen games and ended up in ninth position, just ahead of Lucknow Super Giants. Hardik faced a tough season individually too, gathering only 146 runs across eight innings and claiming just three wickets.

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer mentioned that although he does not favor Hardik continuing as MI's captain next year, the team should certainly keep him so he can concentrate on improving his personal performance. "I wouldn't make him the captain again, but he will definitely stay. I want him to excel and bring out the best in him," Jaffer said in a video on his YouTube channel. When asked who could take over as captain, Jaffer responded: "Right now, it would be difficult to choose a captain. " MI ended their season disappointingly in ninth place out of ten teams after a 30-run loss to Rajasthan Royals in their last league match — marking their tenth loss in fourteen games.