Hardik Pandya's 'Go' Instagram story after MI's IPL 2026 exit has CSK trade rumours exploding

The Mumbai Indians (MI) captain, Hardik Pandya, has triggered a fresh controversy after sharing a cryptic Instagram story at the end of their campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 as they faced a 30-run defeat against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.         

The post has featured Hardik’s rumored girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma, but it didn’t include any photos of his teammates from the franchise, as it led to a discussion among the fans. The all-rounder went through a tough time as the MI side finished in ninth position among the ten teams after managing only eight points in 14 games. 

Hardik Pandya's cryptic Instagram story at 7 AM sends cricket Twitter into a frenzy over CSK move

Earlier in the season, the MI captain unfollowed the franchise on his Instagram account and deleted all the related pictures before following them back. It happened when he was out of action due to an injury, as Suryakumar Yadav captained the five-time champions in his absence.

Hardik hasn’t commented on his personal life publicly, but his recent appearances with Mahieka have fueled the relationship rumors. They have been spotted together during private vacations and outings.

In the story, he put a picture of his laptop and a notebook. All of those were in pink, which sparked the fact that he could move into the Rajasthan Royals side for the IPL 2027.

See Also: Watch: Hardik Pandya changes Ferrari Colour ahead of MI vs RR — Fans can't stop talking

On the other hand, the story was posted at 7 in the morning. The sharp time was seven past seven in the morning (7:07), as many Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans claimed that the Indian star would wear yellow for the next IPL season. 

206 Runs, 9th Place— How Hardik Pandya's IPL 2026 was MI’s second-worst season ever

Mumbai finished the IPL 2026 campaign with four victories in 14 clashes at a net run rate of -0.584. Those two victories came in both halves of the competition. This ended up being their second-worst season ever in the tournament.

With the bat, the Baroda all-rounder struggled to get only 206 runs in 10 innings of the event at an average of 22.88 and a strike rate of 138.25, with no landmark on his name at the best score of 40 runs. With the ball, he picked up only four wickets in nine innings at an average of 64.75 and an economy rate of 11.42.

See Also: No, Hardik Pandya is not marrying Mahieka Sharma on May 22 — The post came from a parody account

This is the third successive season in which Hardik has failed to cross the 250-run mark in the IPL from 2024.

"Just go to CSK already" — Fans react to Hardik Pandya's cryptic departure story

Fans have reacted to Hardik Pandya’s cryptic departure story in the morning after the Mumbai Indians ended their second-worst campaign in the IPL 2026-