Hardik Pandya will not be part of the Mumbai Indians contingent heading to Raipur for their IPL match on May 10 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. As of Wednesday, May 6 afternoon—when this report was being prepared—the MI squad had gathered at Mumbai airport’s Terminal 1 for departure, but the captain was not seen with the group. There has been no clear update on whether Pandya will arrive with the team later in the week or close to match day.
Key takeaways
- Hardik Pandya is currently absent from the Mumbai Indians’ travel party to Raipur for the May 10 clash versus Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
- On May 4 against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, Suryakumar Yadav led the side in place of Pandya.
- Mumbai Indians stated the reason for Pandya missing the May 4 game was back spasms.
- Ryan Rickelton said he was only informed about Pandya’s back spasm on the afternoon of May 4 and does not know when the captain will return.
- Pandya’s latest outing prior to the absence came at Chepauk on May 2, where Chennai Super Kings beat MI by eight wickets.
What the MI camp said after Pandya missed May 4
Pandya did not play in Mumbai Indians’ most recent match before this trip, the May 4 encounter against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium. In that game, Suryakumar Yadav stepped in as captain. At the toss, Suryakumar explained that Pandya was unwell and he would simply take charge for the night, adding that the rest of the situation in the team was fine.
With the franchise having lost the match and Pandya not contributing with either bat or ball, questions naturally lingered over whether there was more behind his unavailability than a routine ailment. Mumbai Indians moved quickly to clarify the matter, insisting there was “nothing more to read” beyond the official explanation.
In a statement, the team said Pandya was unwell due to back spasm, which is why Suryakumar Yadav was named captain for that day’s contest.
Rickelton on not knowing the return timeline
Even after the explanation, uncertainty remained in the squad over when Pandya would be back in action. Asked about the captain, Ryan Rickelton said he did not have much information regarding Pandya’s expected comeback. He noted that he only learned about the back spasms in the afternoon and therefore was not in a position to judge how serious the issue was or how Pandya was feeling.
Rickelton, however, expressed confidence that Pandya would rejoin the group as they travel to Raipur later in the week.
Recent form, and the last visible match in Chennai
Before the May 4 absence, Pandya appeared to be in reasonable condition during the CSK vs MI match at Chepauk in Chennai on Saturday night, May 2. In that contest, Chennai beat Mumbai by eight wickets. Pandya bowled two overs and also batted at number 6, but his knock was modest—18 runs off 23 balls.
His overall output this season has broadly mirrored MI’s results. With the bat, he has scored 146 runs across eight matches at a strike rate of 136.45. With the ball, his wicket tally has also been limited, taking just four wickets in the same number of appearances.
As captain, Pandya’s record stands at a win percentage of 37.83 from 37 IPL matches spread across three seasons, with 14 wins and 23 defeats. More to follow
