Hardik Pandya (Source: AFP & Instagram.com)
Under Hardik Pandya’s leadership, the five-time title winners Mumbai Indians endured a disappointing IPL 2026 season. Moreover, even their hopes of signing off with a victory failed to materialise as they suffered another defeat in their final league-stage match against Rajasthan Royals.
However, for most, Hardik Pandya became an easy target, as he consistently faced intense social media trolling. This peaked during the IPL 2026 season amid MI’s poor performance, captaincy changes, and suspected trade talks, and a mysterious social media activity in which he briefly unfollowed his franchise.
On the same lines, it seems that the Indian star allrounder has, first and foremost, taken serious action against the constant social media controversies.
Notably, his recent action is also being compared to Arshdeep Singh, who suddenly deleted or archived over 200 of his Instagram posts and changed his profile picture.
Hardik Pandya deactivates Instagram profile after MI’s early elimination from IPL 2026
In a recent development, it has been understood that the Mumbai Indians captain, Hardik, has deactivated his Instagram account - @hardikpandya93.
The intentionally obscure comes only a couple of days after his recent cryptic "07:07" story that sparked massive trade rumours linking him to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to play alongside MS Dhoni.
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The story, which featured a phone lock screen, created an absolute frenzy among fans and media for several reasons, one being the MS Dhoni connection.
Interestingly, the eagle-eyed cricket enthusiasts instantly linked the time "07:07" to the former CSK captain’s legendary jersey number (7) and birthday (July 7, or 7/7).
While the internet was set ablaze with theories, it is worth noting that the rumour remained pure fan and media speculation with no official confirmation from Pandya, Mumbai Indians, or CSK.
Not the first time, Hardik’s social media activity has sparked controversy
It is worth noting that this isn't the first instance, when Hardik Pandya's social media pursuit has sparked controversy.
On May 11, massive speculations erupted after he reportedly deleted several franchise-related posts and briefly unfollowed his IPL franchise, the Mumbai Indians, on Instagram. This digital activity caused intense viral rumours before his account returned to normal.
The sudden surge in social media activity followed a turbulent stretch for the Mumbai Indians. Following the team's elimination from the IPL 2026 playoffs, rumours began circulating on social media.
Fans highlight Hardik's 'digital distancing' from Mumbai Indians
They even stated that the star all-rounder had removed collaborative posts with his team, unfollowed the franchise, and was no longer following some of his teammates.
While some fans and analysts speculated that the digital 'distancing' was a sign of internal team conflict, tension over his captaincy, or personal frustration, later reports clarified the situation.
Several observers also noted that the unfollowing was likely a temporary social media glitch or an accidental click, as his profile showed he was still following the team shortly after the rumours went viral. However, neither Hardik Pandya nor the Mumbai Indians management issued any official statements addressing the social media rumours.
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