Will Hardik Pandya Play Baroda vs Punjab Match in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025?

The Indian Cricket Team all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been out of action for a while now. Talks have been related to his national comeback as his absence has surely hampered the balance of the Indian team in the white-ball setup.

Hardik Pandya suffered an injury to his left quadriceps during the final Super Four game of the Asia Cup 2025 against Sri Lanka. After bowling just one over, he went off the field and subsequently was ruled out of the final as well against Pakistan.

Hardik Pandya’s injury was much worse than expected as he was then ruled out of the entire Australia tour. The all-rounder after a few weeks of rest then checked in at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) for rehabilitation.

Pandya underwent a two-month rehab at BCCI’s Coe and then was recently declared fit. As per the reports in Times of India, it is learned that the CoE recently granted Return to Play (RTP) clearance and was expected to play the ongoing ODIs against South Africa. But, BCCI didn’t want to rush him.

Will Hardik Pandya Play Today in Baroda vs Punjab SMAT?

There have been several reports which claimed that Hardik Pandya will be playing domestic cricket before India's comeback. The all-rounder is expected to feature for Baroda in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) under the leadership of Krunal Pandya.

The Baroda vs Punjab Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match will be played on December 2. Hardik missed the first three games of the SMAT 2025 and is now expected to play this match. Playing in the tournament will be a great audition for him to get fit for the T20I series against South Africa, which will begin on December 9 in Cuttack. Moreover, Hardik Pandya SMAT comeback will also help Baroda in the ongoing SMAT as he is one of the best all-rounders in the world.

Hardik Pandya will be extremely crucial for his team going ahead as the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is around the corner. The all-rounder has been India’s MVP in the format and him staying fit for the showpiece event will be the top priority of the team.

When Will Hardik Pandya Make International Comeback?

Hardik Pandya is expected to play against South Africa in T20Is. The two teams will be locking horns with each other in the five-match T20I series and it will be important for both teams with the World Cup just around the corner in India and Sri Lanka. Both were the finalists of the last edition of the T20 World Cup.

India are currently locking horns with South Africa in the three-match ODIs. The first match took place in Ranchi and saw the KL Rahul-led side winning the opening encounter of the series by 17 runs.

The GOAT of cricket, Virat Kohli, was the star with the bat with his innings of 135 off 120 balls as helped India post a total of 349 runs. The second match between the teams will be played on December 3 in Raipur.