Hardik Pandya Returns After Injury; To Play Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Before SA T20Is

Hardik Pandya has finished an intense rehab program at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence as he prepares for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa. As per a PTI report, Hardik is likely to return to the Indian team for this series. He has been out of action since he injured his left quadriceps during the Asia Cup 2025. The injury kept him out of the final against Pakistan, and he was later left out of the white-ball squads for the Australia tour.

His recovery took longer than expected, which also ruled him out of the ODI series in South Africa.Hardik Pandya has completed his Return to Play program at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. He trained in Bengaluru from October 21 to November 30 and has now been declared fit to play T20 cricket again.

The BCCI had already decided that Hardik Pandya will play only T20Is as India prepares for the 2026 T20 World Cup. His return to bowling and batting is great news for the team. As part of his comeback, Hardik will now play for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. This will help him check his fitness and see if he can handle the workload of a full match.7

Hardik Pandya Declared Fit; Set for T20 Comeback Before South Africa Series

PTI has said that Hardik Pandya is likely to play at least two matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He will first play against Punjab on December 2, and then against Gujarat on December 4. There is also a chance he will play a third game, against Haryana on December 6. These matches will help the selectors understand if he is fully ready to return to international cricket.

Selector Pragyan Ojha has been asked to closely watch Hardik’s performances during this domestic return. Ojha will share regular updates with the Indian selectors and the team management. Hardik is important to India’s T20I plans. His role as a finisher with the bat and as a seam-bowling all-rounder brings balance to the team.

India and South Africa will start their T20I series on December 9 in Cuttack. The other matches will be held in Mullanpur and a few more venues. Hardik Pandya is likely to join the Indian team if he finishes his matches for Baroda without any injury problems. The BCCI has a long-term plan for his workload. Since the 2026 T20 World Cup is coming up, they want Hardik to focus mainly on T20Is. They don’t want to push him into playing ODIs right now because they are not a big priority at the moment.