Hardik Himanshu Pandya (born 11 October 1993) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team. He is an all-rounder who is a right-handed middle order batsman and fast-medium bowler. He is considered one of the best all-rounders in the world in white-ball cricket. Pandya has represented India in all three formats. 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.
Early years
Hardik Pandya was born on 11 October 1993 in Choryasi, Surat, Gujarat. His father, Himanshu Pandya, ran a small car finance business in Surat which he shut down and moved to Vadodara when Hardik was five to provide his sons with better cricket training facilities. Himanshu Pandya worked as a loan consultant in Vadodara.[3] He enrolled his two sons into Kiran More's cricket academy in Vadodara.[4] Lacking finances, the Pandya family lived in a rented apartment in Gorwa, with the brothers using a second-hand car to travel to the cricket ground.[3] Hardik studied at the MK High School until ninth grade before dropping out to focus on cricket.[5]
Hardik made steady progress in junior-level cricket, and according to Krunal, "won a lot of matches single-handedly" in club cricket.[4] In an interview with the Indian Express, Hardik said that he was dropped from his state age-group teams due to his "attitude problems". He added that he was "just an expressive child" who did not "like to hide his emotions."[6]
According to his father, Hardik was a leg spinner until the age of 18 and turned to fast bowling at the insistence of the Baroda coach Sanath Kumar.[7]
Domestic career
Pandya has been playing for the Baroda since 2013. He played a vital role in helping Baroda win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the 2013–14 season. In January 2016, he slammed eight sixes during his innings of 86 not out, to guide Baroda to a six-wicket win over Vidarbha in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.[8]
Indian Premier League
Pandya played for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL from 2015 to 2021.[9][10] Against the Kolkata Knight Riders, in a must-win match for Mumbai Indians to remain in the playoff race, he scored 61 runs off 31 balls to take the match, earning him his second man of the match award of the 2015 season.[11]
Ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, Pandya was released by the Mumbai Indians. He was then drafted by the new Ahmedabad-based franchise, Gujarat Titans, and named captain of the team.[12][13] He led Gujarat to their maiden IPL title in 2022, becoming the first captain after Shane Warne in 2008 to lead a team to the title in its first year.[14] In the IPL 2023 Pandya again led Gujarat Titans to their second consecutive final but lost to Chennai Super Kings by five wickets through DLS method.
Return to Mumbai Indians: IPL 2024
In November 2023, Pandya returned to the Mumbai Indians after two seasons with the Gujarat Titans in an all-cash trade deal which involved Cameron Green being traded from the Mumbai Indians to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.[15] Pandya was later named captain of the side, replacing Rohit Sharma,[16] a decision that drew criticism from the home crowd, who booed Pandya during the 2024 season.[17] Under Pandya's captaincy, Mumbai Indians ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2024, failing to qualify for the playoffs and finishing last in the league stage with 4 wins in 14 games.[18] Pandya scored 216 runs batting at various positions between 4-8, at an average of 18.00. With the ball, he took 11 wickets with an economy of 10.75.[19][20]
International career
T20Is
Pandya made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for India on 27 January 2016 at the age of 22, picking up 2 wickets against Australia.[21] His first Twenty20 International wicket was Chris Lynn. In the second T20I against Sri Lanka at Ranchi, he batted ahead of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni and hit 27 off 14 balls before becoming hat-trick victim of Thisara Perera.[22] In 2016 Asia Cup, Pandya smashed an 18-ball 31 helping India post a respectable score against Bangladesh. Later on, he also picked up a wicket to secure the win. In the next match against Pakistan he bowled his best figures of 3 for 8 which restricted Pakistan to 83. In a 2016 World Twenty20 match against Bangladesh on 23 March, Pandya took two crucial wickets in the last three balls of match's final over as India beat Bangladesh by one run.[23]
Pandya's career best bowling figures of 4 for 38 was achieved in the 3rd and final Twenty20 International against England on 8 July 2018, when he also scored 33 not out in 14 balls and hit the winning runs with a six off Chris Jordan. He became first Indian to take 4 wickets and score over 30 runs in the same T20I match.[24]
In September 2021, Pandya was named in India's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup after being declared fit to bowl his full quota of overs.[25] Pandya scored 11 against Pakistan and 23 against New Zealand in defeats, as India crashed out of the World Cup despite big wins over Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia. Pandya's bowling fitness came under scrutiny as he bowled only 4 overs across the tournament. He was dropped from the squad for the subsequent T20I series against New Zealand.[26]
In June 2022, Pandya was named India's captain for their T20I matches against Ireland.[27]
On July 7, 2022, Pandya scored 51 runs off 33 balls, his maiden T20I half-century against England at Southampton.[28] He also took 4/33, making him the first Indian player to record a half-century and take 4 wickets in the same T20I.[29]
2024 T20 World Cup
In April 2024, Pandya was named the vice-captain of the Indian squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[30] During India's successful T20 World Cup campaign, Pandya took 11 wickets and scored 144 runs at a strike rate of 150. In the final, he took 3 wickets, including those of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, and also bowled the last over of the match.[31] At the conclusion of the tournament, Pandya became the first Indian all-rounder to be ranked number 1 in the T20I Rankings.[32]
ODI career
Pandya made his One Day International (ODI) debut for India against New Zealand on 16 October 2016 at Dharamshala. He became the fourth Indian to be named player of the match on ODI debut after Sandeep Patil, Mohit Sharma and K. L. Rahul.[33] In his first ODI innings as a batsman, he scored 36 runs from 32 balls. In the group stages of ICC Champions Trophy, Pandya hit three consecutive sixes off Imad Wasim in the same over before rain stopped play. On 18 June 2017, in the final of the Champions Trophy at the Oval, he struck a 43-ball 76 in a losing cause, after coming in with India at 54/5 following a top order collapse.[34]
He was selected in the ODI XI of the year 2017 by ESPNcricinfo.[35]
In April 2019, he was named in India's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[36][37] On 27 June 2019, in the match against the West Indies, Pandya played in his 50th ODI.[38]
On 17 July 2022, Pandya bowled his ODI career-best 4–24 against England in Old Trafford. His 71 runs scored during the 2nd innings of the same match made him the first Indian player to score a half-century and take 4 wickets in an ODI since Yuvraj Singh in 2011.[39]
Test career
Pandya was included in India's Test squad for their home series against England in late 2016,[40] but was eventually left out after he injured himself while training in the nets at the PCA Stadium.[41] He was named in the squad that toured Sri Lanka in July 2017 and played his first Test on 26 July in Galle.[42] In the 3rd and the final Test match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele, Pandya scored his maiden Test century, and set the record for becoming the first Indian batsman to score a Test century just before lunch. He also set the record for scoring the most runs in a single over of a Test innings for India, scoring 26 runs, which was later surpassed by Jasprit Bumrah.[43][44] This century was his first century in international cricket.
Personal life

Pandya's brother Krunal has also played for India and the Mumbai Indians.[45] Their father, Himanshu Pandya died in January 2021 of cardiac arrest.[46]
Pandya got engaged to dancer and actress Nataša Stanković on 1 January 2020;[47] on 30 July 2020 their first child, a boy, Agastya Pandya was born.[48] On 14 February 2023, the couple renewed their wedding vows in a ceremony in Udaipur, Rajasthan.[49] In 2024, the couple's relationship came under scrutiny during Pandya's maiden season as captain of the Mumbai Indians, as Stanković took down their posts together and took his last name out of her username on Instagram. The couple mutually separated in July 2024.[50]
Controversies
Koffee with Karan appearance
In January 2019, Pandya appeared with teammate K. L. Rahul on the show Koffee with Karan, and made several controversial comments which were met with immediate public backlash. During the interview, Pandya spoke about how he had proudly informed his parents of his first sexual encounter, which was well received by them. He also proclaimed that he likes to "observe how women move" at high-end bars and nightclubs, as well as on social media and then went on to liken himself to a black person saying, "I'm a little from the black side so I need to see how they move".[51][52][53] The public categorized his monologue as indecent, derogatory, misogynistic and disgraceful.[54][55] Pandya apologized for his remarks by saying that he had gotten carried away by the nature of the show.[56][54] The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) responded to the controversy by saying, "It will be considered whether players should even be allowed to appear on such TV shows which have got nothing to do with cricket."[57][56][58] The BCCI found the comments as very crass, sexist and cringeworthy,[55] and was not impressed by the apology, seeking appropriate legal action into the matter as it was a breach of conduct.[56][59] Both Pandya and Rahul were handed a suspension until a pending investigation and were called back from the ongoing tours of Australia and New Zealand.[60][53][61] Furthermore, on 13 January 2019, Gillette suspended their brand association with Pandya for its Mach3 razor.[62] On 24 January 2019, after lifting the suspension on Pandya and Rahul, the BCCI announced that Pandya would re-join the squad for the matches in New Zealand.[63]
References
- ^ "Hardik 'Kung Fu' Pandya's 37 Ball Ton Gets Praise from Natasa Stankovic". News18. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "Virat as 'Cheeku', Dhoni as 'Mahi' - The fascinating story behind the nicknames of Indian cricketers". DNA India. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ^ a b Tere, Tushar (25 May 2017). "Pandya brothers finally build their dream home". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ a b Mehta, Jigar (25 February 2016). "From unknown game-changer to national team: The six weeks that changed Hardik Pandya's life". Firstpost. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ Tere, Tushar (17 January 2015). "Every individual has different set of talents". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ Sundaresan, Bharat (26 May 2017). "I always dreamt big. I wanted cars…and the only way I could get that was through my sport, says Hardik Pandya". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "When Hardik Pandya did a Virat Kohli to surprise his coach". The Times of India. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ "Recent Match Report - Kerala vs Mumbai Super League Group A 2016". ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ Staff, CricAddictor (16 April 2022). "IPL 2022: Ravi Shastri Feels Mumbai Indians Made Big Mistake By Not Retaining Hardik Pandya". Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya Profile". Mumbai Indians. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "List of players sold in IPL 8 auction". The Times of India. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
- ^ "'All good things must end', says Hardik Pandya after being released by Mumbai Indians". The Times of India. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya announced as captain of Ahmedabad team for IPL 2022, Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill included as draft picks". Hindustan Times. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "All-round Hardik Pandya leads debutants Gujarat Titans to dream title". ESPNcricinfo. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ "IPL 2024 trade timeline: How Hardik Pandya's historic Mumbai Indians homecoming unfolded". India Today. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya replaces Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain". Cricbuzz. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Wankhede vents its ire as MI skipper Hardik Pandya booed again in IPL 2024". Hindustan Times. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Indian Premier League 2024 schedule, live scores and results". www.cricbuzz.com. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "IPL 2024 | Mumbai Indians | Hardik Pandya Player Profile". www.iplt20.com. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "'Rohit Sharma said himself...': Wasim Akram pins blame on Hardik Pandya after MI exit from IPL 2024 playoff race". Hindustan Times. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "India tour of Australia, 1st T2020I: Australia v India at Adelaide, Jan 26, 2016". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ "Recent Match Report - India vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20I 2016". ESPNcricinfo. 12 February 2016.
- ^ "India win after WWW in last three balls". ESPNcricinfo. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "England vs India, 3rd T20I, India tour of England, 2018". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "India's T20 World Cup squad: R Ashwin picked, MS Dhoni mentor". ESPNcricinfo. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya needs to bat and bowl to be considered an all-rounder: Kapil Dev". India Today. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya to captain India in Ireland T20Is; Rahul Tripathi gets maiden call-up". ESPNcricinfo. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya shines with bat and ball as India go 1-0 up". ESPNcricinfo. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya's all-round display gives India opening T20 win over England". the Guardian. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "India's T20 World Cup Squad Announced: Rohit Sharma Captain, Hardik Pandya Vice-captain; Check The Full List Here". News18. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Hats off to him for bowling last over: Rohit Sharma lauds Hardik Pandya after T20 WC triumph". The Economic Times. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya becomes first Indian to be ranked No. 1 T20I allrounder". ESPNcricinfo. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Pandya's debut three-for sets up India's six-wicket win". ESPNcricinfo. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "India vs Pakistan final, ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Hardik Pandya etches his name in record books with fearless batting". The Indian Express. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Take them on if you dare". ESPNcricinfo. 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Rahul and Karthik in, Pant and Rayudu out of India's World Cup squad". ESPNcricinfo. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar in India's World Cup squad". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "India's shaky middle order in focus against teetering West Indies". ESPNcricinfo. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "Pandya and Chahal restrict England to 259". ESPNcricinfo. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "Rohit, Rahul and Dhawan to miss first two England Tests". ESPNcricinfo. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ "Injured Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul released from India squad". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ "India vs Sri Lanka: Hardik Pandya expresses elation in Test debut". The Indian Express. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd Test: Hardik Pandya Leaves Several Records Shattered With Counter-Punching Knock". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ^ "Pandya's sprint before lunch". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ^ "Krunal Pandya profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ "'This one is for my dad': Krunal Pandya breaks down in tears after smashing fastest 50 by ODI debutant". The Indian Express. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya announces engagement with Serbian actress Natasa Stankovic". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic become parents, blessed with a baby boy". The Times of India. 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya and Nataša Stankovic set to marry again in Udaipur on Valentine's Day". The Economic Times. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya, Natasa Stankovic announce separation: 'decided to mutually part ways'". Hindustan Times. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "How Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul got into trouble for Koffee with Karan: A timeline". India Today. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul banned by India over Koffee with Karan comments". BBC Sport. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ a b Viswanath, G. (11 January 2019). "Comments on TV show: Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul suspended pending inquiry". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ a b "After backlash, Hardik Pandya apologizes for comments on 'Koffee With Karan". The Hindu. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul get flak for 'crass, sexist' talk". The Times of India. TOI. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ a b c Viswanath, G. (10 January 2019). "Vinod Rai recommends two ODI ban on Hardik Pandya, K.L. Rahul for 'crass' comments on women on Koffee with Karan". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Who Gave Hardik Pandya And KL Rahul Permission To Appear on TV Show?": BCCI Treasurer Asks". sports.ndtv.com. NDTV. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul showcaused; BCCI considers barring players from non-cricket shows". The Times of India. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ "BCCI mulls 2-match suspension for Hardik, KL Rahul after sexist remarks on TV show". India Today. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul suspended pending inquiry". Cricbuzz. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul both suspended with immediate effect". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Brand Hardik Pandya takes a hit, loses sponsor". The Times of India. TOI. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ "Pandya to join India squad in New Zealand, Rahul to play for India A". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
You must be logged in to post a comment.