Mumbai Indians need a reset. They also need their captain back.
Hardik Pandya missed MI’s six-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals on Saturday after falling ill, and his availability for Tuesday’s clash against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati remains the central question in the MI camp. He has since returned to the nets and travelled with the squad, which offers some encouragement. But the all-round gap he left against Delhi was significant. Suryakumar Yadav stepped in as stand-in skipper and did his job, but the bowling combination suffered without Pandya’s contributions.
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The tactical call to bring Corbin Bosch in ahead of Trent Boult backfired. Bosch leaked runs at a critical stage and the decision will be scrutinised heading into this game. Deepak Chahar bowled tidily in Pandya’s absence, while Shardul Thakur, who was impressive in MI’s opener, had a difficult outing. Jasprit Bumrah has been characteristically economical but is yet to take a wicket this season, an unusual situation for a bowler of his calibre.
Royals, meanwhile, are flying. Yashasvi Jaiswal and teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi have been providing explosive powerplay starts, and Dhruv Jurel is building substantial innings in the middle. New captain Riyan Parag is yet to fire with the bat but his tactical instincts, particularly at the death against Gujarat Titans, have stood out.
Ravi Bishnoi leads the IPL wicket charts jointly with five scalps from two games, a remarkable return for a bowler who endured a tough 2025 season and spent the off-season rebuilding. Tushar Deshpande’s death-over bowling against Titans, conceding just four in the final over with yorker after yorker, underlined how complete this Royals team looks right now.
MI have the firepower to turn things around quickly. But Guwahati, against this Royals side, is a stern test. They need Pandya fit, Bumrah among the wickets, and their combination to click. All three at once would be ideal.
