Amid the speculations over Hardik Pandya’s future in the Mumbai Indians after suffering another heartbroken season under his leadership, the pace bowling all-rounder is likely to join the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Central of Excellence (CoE), in the first week of June.
Mumbai Indians crashed out of the IPL 2026 title race even before the group stage concluded. The five-time IPL winners finished their campaign as the ninth 10-team in the points table. It is not speculative that Hardik Pandya is all set to leave the franchise.
India will host Afghanistan after the IPL 2026 season
After the conclusion of the Indian Premier League, star Indian players will be preparing to host Afghanistan. Afghanistan will face India for a one-off Test followed by a 3-match ODI series. The bilateral series is scheduled to start on June 6, with the one-off Test.
Ahead of the India vs Afghanistan series, Hardik Pandya is reportedly set to join the BCCI’s CoE on June 2. He is expected to stay at the NCA for around 10 days, as his fitness is under scrutiny. The board has named Hardik Pandya for the 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan, which will start from June 13.
#breaking Hardik Pandya likely to reach @BCCI CoE on June 2..he will be at NCA fr around 10 days..the India allrounder has been picked for the home ODI series vs Afghanistan 🇦🇫 subject to fitness!
— Gaurav Gupta (@toi_gauravG) May 30, 2026
Hardik Pandya is currently doubtful for the India vs Afghanistan series
Pandya’s participation in the series is subject to his fitness status. If he clears all the fitness trials, then he will get the certificate to be in the bilateral series. But if he fails to prove his fitness, then the board can prevent him from facing Afghanistan.
During the announcement of the squads, BCCI made it clear that Hardik and Rohit Sharma’s participation in the series is subject to fitness clearance. Both Hardik and Rohit were injured during their IPL 2026 season with the Mumbai Indians.
Hardik Pandya was sidelined for multiple matches in IPL 2026 with back spasms. He missed the crucial matches against the Delhi Capitals (DC), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Despite the injury rumours, the all-rounder was spotted doing intense training in the nets and eventually returned to action before the season came to an end.
Pandya could join a new team ahead of IPL 2027
Team India is heading towards a packed international schedule. Before the upcoming series, the board has been monitoring its key players with the help of the medical team. While most of the key Team India players are fit and fine, some of them, like Rohit and Hardik, got injured and missed a few games, which is a concern for the team management.
More than Hardik’s availability in the Afghanistan series, fans are now more curious about his next move ahead of another Indian Premier League season. There are multiple teams, like the Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants, and Chennai Super Kings, who could be in search of a new captain for the IPL 2027 season. If Pandya comes into the players’ auction, then he will be in demand.
Read More: Tilak Varma in line to replace Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians captain- Reports
