Follow UsHardik Pandya, ace all-rounder and captain and captain of the Mumbai Indians side, will finally be in action on a cricketing field as he is likely to appear for his domestic side Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025-26.
Pandya will feature in two matches against Punjab and Gujarat on December 2 and 4 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. One of India’s selectors, Pragyan Ojha, will be there to assess whether Pandya is match-fit or not, reported ESPNcricinfo.
The 32-year-old suffered a left quadricep injury while playing the Super Fours match against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2025 on September 26. Since then, he has spent nearly 45 days at BCCI's Centre of Excellence, in Bengaluru.
Pandya joined the facility on October 15, then took a three-day Diwali break and from October 21 continued to rehabilitate up to November 29.
India will name the squad for the five-match T20I series against South Africa by December 4 and Pandya might make his international cricket return in that series.
As far as Baroda in SMAT are concerned, they are second from the bottom, having won just a single game and lost even to Puducherry.