Hardik Pandya Misses Another Match for Mumbai Indians
In a challenging turn of events for Mumbai Indians, captain Hardik Pandya sat out his second consecutive match on Saturday, as the team faced off against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur. This marked the third game this season that Pandya has had to miss.
The all-rounder previously missed a match against Lucknow Super Giants due to a back spasm. The Mumbai Indians confirmed that their captain was still not cleared to play by the medical team following the toss.
“Hardik has not been cleared by the medical team,” a spokesperson for MI stated, explaining his absence.
Suryakumar Yadav took over the captaincy for this match after rejoining the team, following the recent birth of his daughter. Interestingly, when the squad first traveled to Raipur, neither Pandya nor Suryakumar was part of the group. Suryakumar stayed back for family reasons, while Pandya was still recuperating from his back issue.
Although Pandya joined the team in Raipur on May 7, management opted to be cautious and not risk him in the match against RCB.
The MI skipper last played in a match against Chennai Super Kings. His absence is tied to the back spasm he experienced earlier this week. While the injury is believed to be minor, MI’s medical staff recommended that he rest, especially with the hectic schedule ahead.
Sadly, this season has been tough for both Pandya and the Mumbai franchise, as his fitness issues have contributed to the team’s struggles for consistency.
Currently, Mumbai Indians are sitting at ninth place on the IPL 2026 points table, with only six points from 10 matches. With just a few games left in the league, their chances of qualifying for the playoffs are looking slim. The five-time champions need to win all remaining matches while relying on favorable outcomes from other games.
In their last outing under Suryakumar’s leadership, MI managed to secure a victory against Lucknow Super Giants. However, another defeat against RCB could drive them closer to elimination.
Playing XI for RCB vs MI Match:
Mumbai Indians:
- Rohit Sharma
- Ryan Rickelton (wk)
- Naman Dhir
- Suryakumar Yadav (c)
- Tilak Varma
- Will Jacks
- Raj Bawa
- Corbin Bosch
- Deepak Chahar
- Jasprit Bumrah
- AM Ghazanfar
Impact Subs:
- Trent Boult
- Raghu Sharma
- Mayank Rawat
- Robin Minz
- Shardul Thakur
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
- Virat Kohli
- Jacob Bethell
- Rajat Patidar (c)
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Tim David
- Romario Shepherd
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Josh Hazlewood
- Suyash Sharma
- Rasikh Salam Dar
Impact Subs:
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Jordan Cox
- Mangesh Yadav
- Swapnil Singh
- Venkatesh Iyer
As the season progresses, all eyes will be on how successfully Mumbai navigates the remaining matches and if they can keep their playoff hopes alive.
