Mumbai Indians (MI) endured another disappointing campaign under Hardik Pandya's captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, which has cast doubts on his future with the side. Amid heavy criticism, it seems like the star India all-rounder has now turned his focus towards International duties.
Hardik Pandya to visit Centre of Excellence
India are set to play an ODI series against Afghanistan next month, and Hardik has been picked in the squad. However, to be eligible to play in the ODI games, he will have to meet a condition set by the BCCI at the time of selection.
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According to some reports, Hardik Pandya is likely to visit the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the first week of June. He is expected to report to the facility on June 2 and spend around 10 days working on his fitness.
Pandya was selected for India's home ODI series against Afghanistan, but his inclusion is subject to him being fully match fit. His participation in the series will rely on his fitness levels. If he successfully clears all the mandatory parameters at the Centre of Excellence, he will be approved to take part in the ODI matches.
Troubled by back spasms
At the time of announcing the squad, the BCCI had made it very clear that the Participations of both Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma in the ODI series would depend on their fitness clearance.
Both Pandya and Rohit picked up injuries while playing for MI during IPL 2026. Hardik has reportedly been dealing with back spasms, making his fitness assessment very important ahead of the Afghanistan series.
During IPL 2026, Hardik missed a number of games because of back spasms. The star all-rounder was not available for key games against Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Despite the injury, Hardik regularly attended the practice session in the nets and eventually made his return before the end of MI's campaign.