NEW DELHI: Hardik Pandya’s absence has sparked fresh doubts among Mumbai Indians supporters. The MI skipper missed a second consecutive IPL 2026 fixture, raising questions about when he will return, how serious his injury is, and what the timeframe for a comeback could look like. With Hardik unavailable, Suryakumar Yadav captained the franchise in his absence as Mumbai Indians suffered another setback.
Key takeaways
- Hardik Pandya missed his second straight IPL 2026 match, with Suryakumar Yadav leading Mumbai Indians.
- MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene said the star all-rounder is managing a back issue and is currently receiving treatment.
- Jayawardene indicated Hardik’s availability is being assessed on a day-to-day basis after he was unable to train for several days.
- Mumbai Indians were beaten by Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 2 wickets at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.
- The defeat confirmed Mumbai Indians’ elimination from the playoff race, making them the second team knocked out after Lucknow Super Giants.
- So far in IPL 2026, MI have played 11 matches, winning 3 and losing 8.
Jayawardene provides update on Hardik’s back injury
After the match, Jayawardene offered clarity on Pandya’s situation, explaining that the problem is related to his back and that the medical staff have been working to resolve it. He said the issue had not fully settled, and because Hardik could not train in recent days, MI avoided taking chances without a clearer picture of his condition.
“Yeah. Hardik had a back issue which we were trying to rectify, but it hasn’t settled in yet. So the medical guys were working on him. He couldn’t train the last few days, so we didn’t want to take a risk without knowing exactly. So we’ll see. It’s on a day-to-day basis. See how he feels. And then we’ll make a decision on that,” Jayawardene said.
MI eliminated as RCB win in Raipur
In Raipur, Mumbai Indians lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by two wickets at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium. The result not only extended MI’s struggles but also ended their chances of reaching the playoffs, confirming their exit from the postseason race.
With that loss, five-time champions Mumbai Indians became the second side—after Lucknow Super Giants—to be knocked out of the tournament. The defeat also underscored how difficult MI’s IPL 2026 journey has been, with the team standing at 3 wins from 11 matches and suffering 8 losses.
Jayawardene on MI’s disappointing campaign
Jayawardene acknowledged that he would face difficult questions at the post-match press conference, and he did not shy away from assessing the season’s shortcomings. He described the campaign as disappointing and pointed to a lack of consistency in both departments—batting and bowling—arguing that the team failed to deliver often enough when matches were on the line.
He added that MI were not far from being in the mix for playoff contention, suggesting that a couple of additional wins could have kept them among the contenders. Instead, those crucial victories did not arrive, and the coach felt the latest loss reflected the same pattern of falling short at the finish.
“The season is disappointing. We’ve had our opportunities, but we were not good enough. We were not consistent enough with the ball or the bat, and that showed in the margins. We were probably two or three wins away from being in the same group of contenders to get into the playoffs, but we didn’t get those wins, and today was another classic example where we fell short,” the Sri Lankan mentor said.
