The Wankhede Stadium on April 12, 2026 was supposed to be about cricket. RCB beat Mumbai Indians by 22 runs in a high-scoring thriller, Phil Salt smashed 78 off 36 balls, and Rajat Patidar\u2019s 20-ball 53 powered RCB to 240 for 4. But the moment that has consumed Indian cricket social media since the final ball was bowled had nothing to do with any of that. It was a handshake that never happened, between two brothers who once called themselves Team Pandya.<\/p>\n
What happened at the Wankhede<\/strong><\/p>\n When Krunal Pandya came on to bowl with Hardik Pandya at the crease, he started with a bouncer aimed at his younger brother. Hardik simply stared back without much reaction. In the past, the brothers maintained a jovial environment on the field, often interacting and laughing at each other\u2019s antics.<\/p>\n It only got more pointed from there. When Hardik lost his wicket for 40 off 22 balls, caught at deep backward point off Jacob Duffy, Krunal celebrated with raw, unbridled emotion \u2014 not the restrained acknowledgment that one brother might show at another\u2019s dismissal, but the kind of celebration that made cameras linger and social media erupt.<\/p>\n And then after the final ball, nothing. During the customary post-match handshake, as players from both sides exchanged greetings, cameras captured a surprising moment \u2014 Hardik and Krunal seemingly avoided each other altogether. There was no hug, no handshake, and not even a brief acknowledgment between the two.<\/p>\n How long has this been building<\/strong><\/p>\n Speculations regarding a fallout have been mounting since India\u2019s T20 World Cup victory. While the country hailed Hardik\u2019s redemption, netizens were quick to point out a radio silence from Krunal and his wife Pankhuri Sharma on social media.<\/p>\n Even though Team India won the showpiece event, Krunal as well as his wife Pankhuri Sharma both reportedly did not attend the stadium for the match. Moreover, the cricketer did not share any congratulatory social media post for his brother. For a man who once publicly described Hardik as his hero and his inspiration, the silence was deafening to those watching closely.<\/p>\n Fans also pointed out that Krunal Pandya and Pankhuri were not seen at the stadium during the tournament. Their absence added more fuel to the growing speculation.<\/p>\n The divorce, Natasa, and the family taking sides<\/strong><\/p>\n An image of Hardik and Krunal\u2019s mother with Natasa Stankovic, Hardik\u2019s ex-wife and the mother of his child, had been doing the rounds on social media recently, raising doubts on whether issues have been running deeper within the Pandya family.<\/p>\n The photograph of Hardik\u2019s mother with Natasa, taken after the divorce, is the image that crystallises the entire family situation for those watching. It suggests that the split between Hardik and Natasa did not simply separate a husband and wife. It separated the family\u2019s loyalties. The divide reportedly deepened following Hardik\u2019s divorce from Natasa Stankovic. Krunal and Pankhuri have been frequently spotted supporting Natasa, while Hardik has increasingly been seen in the company of his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma.<\/p>\n Krunal and the family also were not okay with Hardik constantly jumping from one relationship to another. The speed with which Hardik moved into a new relationship after the divorce, and the public visibility of that relationship with Mahieka Sharma, appears to have widened rather than healed whatever fault lines existed within the family before the split.<\/p>\n What Krunal said before the match<\/strong><\/p>\n Before the Wankhede clash, Krunal had tried to manage the narrative. Prior to RCB\u2019s IPL 2026 match against Mumbai Indians, Krunal implied that he is still in talking terms with Hardik Pandya, saying \u201cYes I will be playing against my brother but nothing changes.\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing changes. He said that on Saturday. On Sunday, he bowled his brother a bouncer, celebrated his wicket like a rival, and walked past him at the handshake. Actions and words told different stories at the Wankhede.<\/p>\n The picture of Hardik today<\/strong><\/p>\n Strip away the IPL captaincy, the celebrity relationship, and the match-winner reputation, and what the evidence of the past few months suggests is a man navigating a genuinely difficult personal chapter. His marriage ended. His relationship with his brother appears fractured. His mother was photographed with his ex-wife. He has not been publicly seen with his extended family in months. And the one person consistently by his side is someone his family reportedly disapproves of.<\/p>\n None of this necessarily means Hardik is falling apart. He scored 40 off 22 balls in a 241-run chase on Sunday night. He is still one of India\u2019s best T20 cricketers and Mumbai Indians\u2019 captain. Athletes have performed through far worse personal circumstances.<\/p>\n But the image of Hardik Pandya standing in the post-match handshake line at the Wankhede while his brother walked past him is the kind of image that stays with a crowd. Team Pandya, the brand they built together, the brotherhood they wore on their sleeves for a decade of Indian cricket, looked very fragile on Sunday night.<\/p>\n Whether it is broken or just bent is something only the two of them know.<\/p>\n Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly observed events, social media reports, and cricket news sources. None of the individuals named have issued official statements confirming a family rift. Business Upturn is not responsible for any decisions made based on this article.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Wankhede Stadium on April 12, 2026 was supposed to be about cricket. RCB beat Mumbai Indians by 22 runs\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":48445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cricket"],"reading_time":"5 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48446,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48444\/revisions\/48446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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