Hardik Pandya makes girlfriend meet Gautam Gambhir by breaking BCCI rule (Watch video)

Star Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was recently seen introducing his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma, to head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 final. The squad assembled at the Mumbai airport to depart for Ahmedabad, where they will face New Zealand in the summit clash.

The Men in Blue are scheduled to play the summit clash against New Zealand on Sunday, March 8. They defeated England by seven runs in the semifinal on Thursday, March 5, at the Wankhede Stadium. The Indian team posted a total of 253 on the board. In response, England scored 246 runs in 20 overs.

Hardik Pandya Introduces Girlfriend Mahieka Sharma to Gautam Gambhir

Hardik Pandya's airport interaction grabbed headlines because girlfriends and wives are generally not allowed to accompany players during these major events.

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During the routine security checks at the airport, Gautam Gambhir was standing just ahead of the couple in the queue. Hardik was seen walking forward while holding his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma's hand. The all-rounder then tapped the head coach on the shoulder and introduced his girlfriend to him.

Gambhir shared a brief hug with her, and Mahieka was seen congratulating the coach. He then prepared to enter the airport with his boarding pass in his hand. Meanwhile, the cameramen present at the scene asked Hardik and Mahieka to pose for pictures, which they both accepted with smiles.

Girlfriends & Wives are not allowed to accompany players. But Pandya is that bad boy of the class, who not just breaks rules, but also pokes the teacher 🤣 pic.twitter.com/zTCeFftlr1

— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 7, 2026

BCCI’s No-Family Rule for Players in T20 World Cup 2026 Explained

As per the strict no-family rule by the BCCI, which was reintroduced after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia, families are not allowed to be with players during major tournaments and overseas tours. This specific policy is currently in place for the T20 World Cup as well.

However, the guidelines state that if players want to take their families along, they are free to make independent arrangements. This includes booking flight tickets and separate hotels entirely at their own expense.

Hardik Pandya has followed this route, travelling in the team bus while making separate vehicle arrangements for Mahieka to travel alongside him throughout the tournament.

Hardik Pandya Shines in the T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal

On the field, Hardik Pandya starred across all three departments in the semifinal against England in Mumbai. The ace player played a stunning cameo of 27 runs off just 12 balls.

With the ball, he dismissed Phil Salt on his first ball of the match. He conceded only nine runs in the penultimate over to leave 29 runs for Shivam Dube to defend. The all-rounder also executed a stunning long throw to run out centurion Jacob Bethell in the final over.

Hardik has scored an impressive 199 runs at an average of 28.43 and a strike rate of 163.11, including two half-centuries. He has also picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 8.79. India will have the opportunity to become the first team to win the tournament three times and defend the crown.

Also read: Brendon McCullum gets Gautam Gambhir treatment, remains England head coach despite horror show