Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya‘s rumored social media activity has sparked a massive backlash following the five-time champions’ early exit from IPL 2026. Speculation has been rife that Hardik unfollowed MI on Instagram after their loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, before following them once again. While there is no concrete proof of the move, social media has erupted over the past few days, with fans blasting Hardik for voicing his displeasure online. Hardik has missed the last two games for MI, who are no longer in contention for a playoff berth, due to an injury.
Former England captains Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook, during the latest episode of the ‘Stick To Cricket’ podcast, weighed in on the controversy surrounding Hardik Pandya’s rumored Instagram activity.
Cook and Vaughan labeled Hardik’s “drama” as absolute disrespect toward the franchise.
“That’s a big diss in the modern world, isn’t it?” Cook said regarding reports of Hardik unfollowing MI.
“That’s a low blow,” Vaughan added.
When Cook questioned whether Hardik’s injury was legitimate, Vaughan responded, “He was injured, but they lost to RCB off the last ball. That’s the ultimate disrespect.”
Vaughan also reflected on Hardik’s return to Mumbai following a trade deal with Gujarat Titans, suggesting that the team’s performance this season might go down as “one of the worst ever in IPL” considering the talent pool MI possesses.
“He went to Gujarat and won it. Mumbai bought him but they’ve had an absolute stinker,” said Vaughan. “I reckon, with that team and that group of players, it’s the worst performance by a team in any tournament. Name me a worse performance by a group that talented. They’ve got Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah.”
Former England cricketers David Lloyd and Phil Tufnell also took shots at Hardik and MI following their poor showing this season.
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