Why is Hardik Pandya not part of India's T20I squads including Asian Games 2026?
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Hardik Pandya recently captained Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian Cricket Team‘s squad for the forthcoming T20I series against Ireland and England on Saturday, June 6.
The BCCI also announced the squad for the Asian Games 2026. India are scheduled to tour Ireland for two T20I games on June 26 and 28. Next, India will tour England in July, where they will play a five-match T20I series and three ODIs. Lastly, the Indian team will participate in the Asian Games 2026, which will be held from September 17 to October 3
Shreyas Iyer has been picked as India’s new T20I captain, replacing Suryakumar Yadav. Tilak Varma has been picked as his deputy.
Surprisingly, all-rounder Hardik Pandya is not part of both the T20I series and the Asian Games. He recently played in the Indian Premier League 2026 for Mumbai Indians. In IPL 2026, he struggled with back spasms and also missed a few games.
He was also part of the T20 World Cup 2026 in March, playing a crucial role in India’s title-winning campaign. Pandya is set to play in the ODI series against Afghanistan.
He recently checked in at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence for fitness tests. However, his absence from the T20I series against England and Ireland, as well as from the Asian Games, became a hot topic among Indian cricket fans.
Why is Hardik Pandya not part of India’s T20I setup?
Speaking at the press conference during India’s squad announcement. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that Pandya has been included in the ODI squad as India’s focus is on the 50-over World Cup next year. The selectors want him to remain fit for the ODIs. Hence, he has been rested in the T20I series.
“He is part of ODIs. Like Jasprit Bumrah, main objective is to see if he can start playing well and stay healthy for the 50-over World Cup,” he was quoted as saying by Times of India.
While Hardik impressed with his performance in the T20 World Cup, he struggled in IPL 2026. He could only score 206 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 138.25. With the ball, he clinched four wickets at an economy of 11.43. MI witnessed a disastrous performance in IPL 2026, finishing ninth in the points table.
Why is Hardik Pandya not part of India’s T20I squad?
BCCI wants Hardik Pandya to focus on the ODI World Cup 2027. Hence, they have rested him for the T20I series against England and Ireland.
When will Hardik Pandya next play for India?
He will play in the ODI series against Afghanistan, which will begin on June 13.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.