However, with Hardik still not a part of the Mumbai Indians team, reports regarding his differences with some members of the dressing room have been surfacing. However, even though Sehwag feels that all the news might not be true, he believes the franchise needs to release Hardik if it turns out to be the truth.
The Mumbai Indians have now won their fourth game of the IPL 2026 season after clinching a memorable win against the Punjab Kings on Thursday. With Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav missing from the encounter, it was Mumbai Indians’ skipper, Jasprit Bumrah, who guided his side to victory. Despite claims that Hardik’s absence from the match is down to a back spasm, there is much more to the story, and according to former India opener Virender Sehwag, Hardik should be released from the franchise.
Former Cricketer Supports Hardik Pandya’s Retention Despite Off-Field Speculation
“However, all these are rumors that I am unsure how true they are, and the only thing I would say is we can retain Hardik, and if the dressing room matter is true, then let him go. But considering only from a cricketing point of view, a great cricketer like Hardik has to be retained,” Virender Sehwag said in a conversation with the media.
Also, further he said that he is willing to retain Hardik as his personal choice, and he added a statement about this which says “Regardless of the rumors, I will retain him, and it is always possible to stop that thing, as the dressing room differences, if any, can always be resolved, and you have got to perform as a team, and Hardik is more important than other things.”
Sehwag Calls Hardik Pandya a “Rs 27 Crore Player”
As of now, the costliest player in the IPL league is Rishabh Pant, who was acquired at a price of Rs 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega-auction, and Sehwag believes that Hardik is a great cricketer who undoubtedly deserves Rs 27 crore instead of his present salary of Rs 16 crore.
“I would say that earlier also when he used to captain the Mumbai Indians team, there were rumors about him, but still, I would consider retaining him. Actually, his Rs 16.35 crore salary is much less, because undoubtedly Hardik is a Rs 27 crore player,” Sehwag said further.
Mumbai Indians have two more games left in the upcoming IPL 2026 season. Let us see whether Hardik returns and makes a mark in any of these two games.
Hardik Pandya’s Absence Sparks Trade Rumours in IPL 2026
Hardik had missed three matches in the IPL 2026 and also he did not travel along with his teammates for their match with Punjab at Dharamsala. The absence of the captain led to speculation about some internal conflict, and it was rumored that Hardik Pandya would be traded to the Chennai Super Kings because they have a strong relationship with the former captain of India, MS Dhoni, who is highly regarded by the CEO of CSK, Kasi Viswanathan.
Whereas, on the other hand, there were reports that Hardik Pandya might be going to the Delhi Capitals franchise because Mumbai was out of qualifying contention for the IPL 2026 playoffs.
Shardul Thakur Dismisses Rumours Around Hardik Pandya’s Absence
Shardul clarified that he did not consider these rumors to be significant since Hardik was recovering in Mumbai, stating that “Hardik Pandya got injured, and that’s why he is not traveling along with the team, and he is with us in Raipur but did not play the game, but he is undergoing his rehabilitation process in Mumbai, so I am willing to see Hardik back on the field to play the match in Kolkata” he concluded.
MI is set to face Kolkata Knight Riders on 20 May at Eden Gardens, but Hardik has had a poor season till now, making 146 runs at a strike rate of 136, taking four wickets at an average of 61.
Though missing Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, Mumbai still managed to beat Punjab by six wickets. Tilak Varma hit a winning run in the total of 201 runs in the chasing game which made an unbeaten 75 runs off 33 balls with six fours and six sixes.
Ashwin Backs Hardik as Captaincy Debate Continues
Though the trade speculations and discussions surrounding the change in the captaincy role continue, Hardik finally got some support from his ex-teammate at the national level and renowned cricket commentator Ravichandran Ashwin, who mentioned that it is not appropriate to place all the blame on Hardik for the poor performances by MI this year.
CONCLUSION: Hardik Pandya Faces Growing Pressure After Decline in Form
While Hardik’s first year as a captain for MI was a rather disappointing one, having finished last in the league in 2024 with just 4 victories, there is a sense of optimism among the passionate Mumbaikar fans as they qualified for the playoffs in 2025, although they eventually lost to the strong Punjab Kings team commanded by Shreyas Iyer.
However, things have not been good for Hardik since then, with an enormous decline in his individual performance and consistent controversial decisions during matches, which are worrying signs regarding his ability to lead the side.
Hardik’s MI team won only 2 of their 9 matches when he served as their captain, but the team managed to secure victory in 2 of their 3 games and that too without Hardik’s presence, just with the guidance of Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah.
