Hardik Pandya Suffers Fresh Injury Setback As India Comeback Delayed

Hardik Pandya sustains fresh injury blow [Source: AFP]

Hardik Pandya has not played for India since the T20 World Cup 2026 final, and it seems the Indian fans might have to wait for a while for his comeback, as the all-rounder suffered a fresh injury setback that has derailed his India return.

In June 2026, Hardik was at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) when he sustained a leg injury and was ruled out of the Afghanistan series. He was taking his time to recover before yet another injury put doubts on his imminent India comeback.

Fresh injury setback derails Hardik Pandya's India return

According to a report published by Dainik Jagran, Hardik suffered a setback in his recovery from the left quadriceps injury after he resumed bowling at full intensity.

The Indian all-rounder recently complained of pain in his right calf, and although the tests did not reveal anything significant, he was urged to stop running and bowling in order to not further damage the calf.

Hardik eventually responded well to the treatment, and he will gradually increase his workload as the Indian team management sweats hard on his fitness.

Hardik continues to suffer from injuries in 2026

2026 has not been the best year for Hardik in terms of injuries. Throughout the year, the Indian all-rounder has sustained multiple injuries that have derailed his journey.

The captain of the Mumbai Indians missed quite a few IPL 2026 matches due to a recurring back spasm issue. He complained of having pain and missed the latter part of the IPL league stage due to persistent back spasms. He, though, returned for Mumbai Indians' final two matches.

The 32-year-old was expected to be included in India’s ODI squad for the Afghanistan series, but in June 2026, the all-rounder injured his quadriceps during his training at CoE, and he was out of the series.

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Just when everyone thought the recovery was going in the right direction, Hardik was once again put on the shelf as the latest injury setback pushed him on the back foot.

A couple of weeks ago, reports circulated that India look at Hardik as one of their key players for the 2027 ODI World Cup, and they would ideally want to carefully manage his workload, even if it means derailing his comeback.

He remains India’s number one all-rounder, and the team management wants him to be one hundred percent fit before he makes his India return.

Not only Hardik, but also no fixed timeline for Bumrah's return

The Jagran report also gave a hint about the future of India’s pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah. The star bowler sustained a knee injury during the second ODI against England recently, and he missed the series finale.

According to the report, Bumrah reached the CoE with severe inflammation on his injured knee, and during his rehabilitation, he faced problems while jogging and doing single-leg exercises.

Just like Hardik, there is no fixed timeline for Bumrah’s return as India will miss him in the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

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