Pandya's Strategic COE Move
Hardik Pandya Makes BCCI Centre of Excellence His Permanent Training Base for Career Longevity
Key Points
Hardik has rented a property on Bengaluru's outskirts near the COE, signaling his plan to make the Centre of Excellence his permanent training base.
He has spent considerable time at the COE over the past six months, indicating deeper engagement with its facilities ahead of the move.
He is currently recovering from a quadriceps injury and was ruled out of the ongoing white-ball tour in the UK.
Before relocating, he spent most of the last decade in Mumbai training at the Mumbai Indians' Ghansoli facility.
He believes he can continue playing white-ball cricket for India for five to six more years.
Hardik Pandya has permanently relocated his training base from Mumbai to Bengaluru, making him the first active Indian cricketer to adopt the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) as a year-round home, according to Circle of Cricket and News First Prime. The move comes as Pandya recovers from a quadriceps injury that ruled him out of India's ongoing white-ball tour of the UK.
Pandya has rented a property on Bengaluru's outskirts, roughly 15 minutes from the COE campus. He plans to train there full-time when not on IPL, state, or national duty. His own physiotherapist and strength and conditioning coach will move with him, per The Sports Tak.
A Decade in Mumbai Ends With a Big Move
For most of the last decade, Pandya trained at the Mumbai Indians' Reliance Corporate Park facility in Ghansoli. It served him well. But Mumbai's traffic meant daily commutes of up to 120 minutes, according to The Daily Jagran. That lost time added up across a long season.
The COE cuts that burden dramatically. Pandya's new home sits about 15 minutes from the facility. He has already spent considerable time at the COE over the past six months, signaling his commitment well before the official move, Circle of Cricket reported.
What the COE Gives Pandya That Mumbai Could Not
The BCCI's Centre of Excellence is a 40-acre campus. It holds 45 outdoor net pitches, 8 indoor pitches, and a biomechanics lab. The full facility is valued at an estimated ₹300 crore, or around $36 million USD. No private franchise gym in India comes close to that level of sports science support.
Pandya's personal support staff have been granted what sources describe as "monitored access" to the COE — a first for a centrally contracted player. BCCI medical staff will coordinate with his private physiotherapist and strength coach. Pandya has said his goal is to remove the "noise" and focus on his body full-time, per Gujarat Samachar.
Quadriceps Injury Drives the Urgency Behind This Decision
Pandya sustained a quadriceps injury during a high-intensity training camp in March 2026. The BCCI ruled him out of the UK white-ball tour as a result. It is his second major injury in roughly three years, after a high-grade ankle ligament tear during the 2023 ODI World Cup sidelined him for months.
Rehabilitation is now ongoing at the COE under BCCI Head of Sports Science Dr. Nitin Patel. The setup is designed to make sure Pandya's personal staff and the BCCI medical team work together, not against each other. The Daily Jagran reported he is the first player granted permanent resident status at the facility for training purposes.
Pandya Targets Six More Years of White-Ball Cricket
The relocation is not just about recovery. It is about longevity. Pandya, 32, has stated he believes he can play white-ball cricket for India for another five to six more years. That would take him through the 2031 ODI World Cup and the 2032 T20 World Cup, per The Sports Tak.
Analyst Harsha Bhogle said Pandya is "treating his career like a corporate entity." By living near the best medical setup in the country, he is betting he can keep his body fit long enough to see those tournaments. If his injury record improves, News First Prime noted, players like Jasprit Bumrah or Rishabh Pant may follow his lead to Bengaluru.
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