England greats analyse Hardik Pandya's online activity as MI fallout rumours swirl: 'That's a low blow'

Hardik Pandya finds himself in a peculiar situation after the Mumbai Indians failed to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. The franchise endured a difficult campaign and was officially eliminated from contention. Pandya, currently sidelined due to an injury, hasn't been in action for the side, but off-field developments have continued to draw attention.

During his injury-related absence, Pandya reportedly unfollowed the franchise on Instagram before following them back, a move that sparked speculation online. The incident became a talking point among former England cricketers Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell, and Sir Alastair Cook.

Pandya's actions "a big diss in the modern world"

Cook described the act as "a big diss in the modern world," while Vaughan called it "a low blow" during their appearance on The Overlap Cricket. Tufnell also expressed his thoughts, saying that the scenario is "equivalent of a bollocking."

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Sir Alastair further implied that Hardik's behaviour resembled a football player trying to force a transfer by deliberately skipping training.

"That's trying to push a transfer in football? Isn't it like when people like in they want to they want to move football clubs, they stop training, don't they? They don't turn up for training. They get fined their two weeks' wages, but then move to another. Is that what he's trying to do there?" the former English cricketer said.

MI officially out of playoff race

Pandya has missed the last three IPL matches for MI, with Suryakumar Yadav captaining the side in two fixtures and Jasprit Bumrah leading in their most recent game against the Punjab Kings, in which Mumbai won by six wickets in a final-ball thriller.

With playoff hopes over, the Mumbai Indians now have the opportunity to experiment with team combinations in their final two league-stage matches against the Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.