Did Hardik Pandya unfollow Mumbai Indians on Instagram?

Soon after a disheartening exit from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Mumbai Indians (MI) received another shocker after their skipper, Hardik Pandya reportedly unfollowed the side’s official page on Instagram.

On Sunday evening, MI faced a devastating two-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Rapiur and soon after the match, fans claimed that MI was missing from Pandya’s ‘following list’. However, minutes later, it was observed that the number of followed accounts increased back to 151, and MI had reappeared on the list.

The update quickly went viral across social media platforms, with many supporters linking the apparent unfollow to rumours of tensions within the franchise after another disappointing IPL campaign.  Many claimed that Pandya ‘unfollowed’ a few fellow cricketers as well.

Even though the change may have been temporary or accidental, it immediately became a major talking point because of the scrutiny surrounding Pandya’s return to MI dug-out. His appointment as captain had divided fans and every setback involving the team since then has attracted significant attention online.

He has also been out-of-action from the MI squad owing to a ‘back spasm’, with Suryakumar Yadav leading the side in his absence. MI head coach, Mahela Jayawardene said Pandya had been dealing with a back issue and undergoing treatment under the supervision of the medical team.

“He (Pandya) had a back issue which we were trying to rectify, but it hasn’t settled in yet. So the medical team is working on him. He couldn’t train the last few days, so we didn’t want to take a risk without knowing exactly. So we’ll see. It’s on a day-to-day basis. See how he feels. And then we’ll make a decision on that,” said Jayawardene.