Hardik Pandya may not return until IPL 2027 after stress fracture
Pandya's recovery timeline rules him out of remaining 2026 fixtures and pushes return to next year's IPL.
Hardik Pandya faces an extended recovery from a stress fracture on the inner side of his shin bone. The all-rounder is undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and remains three weeks away from even starting light jogging.
Medical staff have avoided setting a hard deadline for full match fitness. Pandya last played competitive cricket during IPL 2026 for Mumbai Indians in May and has already been ruled out of the New Zealand tour.
He is also expected to miss the white-ball series against Sri Lanka starting December 13 and the ODI series against Zimbabwe in January. His return to competitive cricket is now likely to occur straight into IPL 2027.
CricHubb Take
The extended absence removes India's most versatile white-ball all-rounder during a critical rebuilding phase, forcing selectors to plan without him for the 2027 World Cup cycle.