Hardik Pandya misses out as Baroda announces squad for SMAT 2026/27

India’s premier all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, continues to miss out in the competitive cricket as he won’t be part of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026/27, the domestic T20 event. When Baroda named their squad for the competition, Hardik wasn’t part of the 15-member squad, having played on May 24 during the IPL 2026 for the Mumbai Indians (MI).    

Hardik was named in the India A side for the 50-over series against Australia in October but was withdrawn due to a fresh injury. Reports from Cricinfo have revealed that Hardik wasn’t pain-free while bowling and spent a large chunk of his time since the IPL at the Centre of Excellence of the BCCI in Bengaluru.

Why is Hardik Pandya not in Baroda’s SMAT 2026/27 squad? What we know

Hardik’s brother, meanwhile, Krunal Pandya, will continue to lead the Baroda side, with Atit Sheth being named his deputy. They are placed in the Elite Group A side along with the defending champions Jharkhand, Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh and Mizoram.

Krunal, who recently captained the Indian side in the Hong Kong Sixes 2026, won the second consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and hopes to show his all-round skills with both bat and ball in hand. 

He will be joined by his RCB teammate, Jitesh Sharma, who is expected to take the role of their lower-order batter along with Deepak Hooda and Raj Lambani. 

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Baroda squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026/27-

Krunal Pandya (c), Atit Sheth (vc), Deepak Hooda, Shivalik Sharma, Shashwat Rawat, Amit Passi (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Bhanu Pania, Mahesh Pithiya, Parikshit Patidar, Hemant Punde, Raj Lambani, Rasik Dar, Dhruv B. Patel, Safvan Patel

Standby: Priyanshu Moliya, Chintal Gandhi

How Hardik Pandya has performed recently: Form, fitness and key numbers

The 33-year-old Pandya has smashed 6344 runs in 294 innings of the T20s at an average of just under 30 and a blistering strike rate of more than 144, with 26 half-centuries, besides collecting 230 wickets at an average of 29 and an economy rate of 8.53. 

The Indian veteran didn’t have a great IPL recently, as he returned with just 206 runs in 10 innings of the 2026 season at an average of 22.88 and hasn’t celebrated a single fifty in the competition since 2024, when he returned to the Mumbai franchise. 

See Also: Fact check: Did Hardik Pandya join PBKS ahead of IPL 2027 auction? Truth behind viral post

As per current reports, Hardik could be traded to the Punjab Kings (PBKS), with Arshdeep Singh and an Indian wicketkeeper-batter who may join the Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2027.