Hardik Pandya misses Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as injury setback delays return ahead of T20 WC

Hardik Pandya’s return to competitive cricket has been delayed further after he was not named in Baroda’s 15-member squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 tournament organized by the BCCI. His brother Krunal Pandya has been named captain of the side. Hardik last featured in competitive cricket on May 24 during an IPL 2026 fixture for Mumbai Indians.

Why it matters

Hardik was initially included in India A’s one-day squad for the October series against Australia A but had to withdraw after suffering a fresh shin injury. According to ESPNcricinfo, Hardik was not completely pain-free while bowling at the time.

Since the conclusion of the IPL, Hardik has spent considerable time at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he has been recovering from a series of fitness setbacks, including back spasms sustained during the IPL and a subsequent leg strain.

His last international appearance came in the T20I series against New Zealand at home, shortly before the start of IPL 2026. Hardik is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team as a right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler.

He is considered one of the best all-rounders in the world in white-ball cricket and captains Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. He occasionally plays for Baroda in domestic cricket.

Krunal Pandya is an Indian cricketer who plays for Baroda in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. He is an all-rounder who bats left-handed and bowls slow left-arm orthodox. He made his T20I debut for India in November 2018.

In 2021, he scored the fastest half-century by a cricketer on ODI debut. He also formerly captained the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. He is the elder brother of Hardik Pandya.

What happens next

With the ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia scheduled for next year, India would be keen to have their premier T20 all-rounder back in the mix as early as possible.

Hardik’s return to action will be crucial as the team looks to build combinations and fine-tune its preparations ahead of the marquee tournament. The Baroda squad, led by Krunal Pandya, also features several prominent names, including Jitesh Sharma, Deepak Hooda and Rasik Dar.

They will begin their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign against Chandigarh in Mumbai on November 14.

By the numbers

Hardik Pandya is the first fast-bowling all-rounder in T20Is to complete 1,000 runs and 100 wickets. He captains Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League and occasionally plays for Baroda in domestic cricket. He has captained the Indian team in white-ball cricket and was the vice-captain of the team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Baroda squad for SMAT 2026

Related on Apex Sports News

• Mohammed Shami Included In Bengal Squad For Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

• Rajat Patidar named Madhya Pradesh captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi appointed Bihar captain for first two Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games

Sources

• The Hindu

• lokmattimes.com