Hardik Pandya’s Instagram Account Briefly Disappears, Returns Hours Later

The Instagram handle of Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya was removed from the platform on Wednesday. The removal of Pandya's Instagram handle occurred around 6 pm yesterday, and this news created a stir. However, Pandya’s Instagram page came back online after a few hours.

Indeed, when his account was searched on the platform that evening, the text "User not found" appeared. However, when his username was searched, no posts were found, and the text further read, "This profile is private." This activity, occurring just days after the five-time champions finished ninth in the points table, surprised many. However, his Instagram account was found active a few hours later.

Hardik Pandya has reactivated his Instagram account after deactivating it for the last 3 hours. pic.twitter.com/FU1k0g3jX8

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Hardik was closely monitored throughout the 2026 Indian Premier League season. During this period, reports emerged of his disagreement with franchise owners, and his name was linked to several other franchises. There were also rumors on social media that he might be traded soon.

Recently, Hardik shared a photo on social media that sparked a stir online. Seeing the '07:07' time stamp on his phone in the post, many believed he was hinting at a move to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings. Meanwhile, former CSK player R. Ashwin also added fuel to the fire by escalating the controversy. He wrote on Instagram, "Pathirana, 07:07 and Stokes."

In IPL 2026, captain Hardik Pandya played only 10 matches for the Mumbai Indians, scoring 206 runs and taking just four wickets. He missed four matches due to back spasms. After the loss against Rajasthan Royals, he gave an update on his fitness, saying everything was fine. "I bat, I bowl, I field, I skip, so it's fine. It's fine for me to play a game where I just bat and enjoy it."