IPL 2026: Will Hardik Pandya join MI squad in Raipur?
What's the story
According to The Times of India, Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya is expected to join his contingent in Raipur on Thursday. The update comes ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday. Hardik, who missed the Lucknow Super Giants game, did not travel with the first batch of players on Wednesday.
Injury update
Back spasm update
Hardik was advised a precautionary rest of about a week after suffering from a back spasm during his match against Chennai Super Kings. The injury had forced him to miss MI's home match against Lucknow Super Giants. A decision on his participation in the Raipur game will be taken closer to the fixture date. The TOI report added that Hardik is expected to travel with the next batch to Raipur.
Travel plan
Other players also didn't travel
Not just Hardik, other players such as Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Tilak Varma, Quinton de Kock, and some foreign players also didn't travel with the first batch on Wednesday. This was part of MI's strategy to allow their players some time off before the next challenge. Notably, MI are currently ninth in the IPL 2026 standings with just three wins in 10 games.
Information
What about the captain?
Suryakumar Yadav led MI in place of the injured Hardik in the LSG game. The five-time champions successfully chased down 229 at Wankhede Stadium. Suryakumar is expected to lead against RCB too, if Hardik misses out.