Mumbai Indians will lock horns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a key IPL 2026 clash at Raipur on Sunday. RCB sit inside the top four and look well placed to push into the playoffs, while MI are still trying to keep their own postseason chances alive. The pressure is heightened for Mumbai because Hardik Pandya is likely to miss this match as well after being absent from their previous encounter against Lucknow Super Giants. Pandya, who has been dealing with a back spasm, remains under assessment. Ahead of Sunday’s game, MI provided an update stating: “Hardik Pandya continues to be evaluated by the medical team, and they will inform the team on his progress. Suryakumar Yadav is coming tomorrow.”
Reports had suggested there was never any real doubt about Suryakumar Yadav’s availability for the Raipur fixture. He had not travelled with the rest of the squad earlier in the week. Yadav and his wife, Devisha Shetty, welcomed a baby girl on Thursday. Writing on Instagram, the India T20 captain shared, “With giggles, bows, and dreams to unfurl – we welcome our baby girl,” while also marking the arrival of their child.
Yadav was not part of the first batch of MI players who headed to Raipur for the team’s next IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday. Even so, he was in charge for MI in their most recent outing versus Lucknow Super Giants. On the occasion of the new arrival, Yadav received congratulations from teammates as well—Deepak Chahar joined MI’s captain in sending wishes.
RCB soak up Chhattisgarh culture ahead of Raipur game
Before their highly anticipated IPL 2026 “home” fixture against Mumbai Indians in Raipur on Sunday, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad spent time away from the playing field to connect with the culture and traditions of Chhattisgarh. The players took in local food, music, art and heritage through an expo designed to bring the group closer to the spirit of the state.
RCB had opened their IPL 2026 home schedule at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, playing their first five home matches there. For their remaining two games marked as “home” fixtures in the season, they will instead use Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, in line with prior commitments.
Rajat Patidar praises the tribal heritage experience
RCB captain Rajat Patidar said he enjoyed the cultural programme during the team’s visit to Chhattisgarh. He singled out the traditional music, drum performances and dances as standout moments, adding that learning about the region’s tribal communities and their history made the trip especially significant.
“I really liked it, especially when we entered and they played traditional music with drums while people were dancing. We also got to learn about the tribal communities here and their history, which was really special,” said Rajat Patidar.
