Suryakumar Yadav is expected to be available for Mumbai Indians’ match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur on Sunday. While his participation was not seriously questioned, there had been a brief cloud of uncertainty after his wife recently welcomed a baby girl, with less than 48 hours separating the delivery from the scheduled game.
However, Mumbai Indians have been informed by Suryakumar that he is fit to travel and take part in the fixture. The India T20I skipper, who captained the side in Mumbai’s previous outing on May 4, is expected to arrive in Raipur shortly.
Hardik Pandya’s fitness remains the key
Whether Suryakumar will once again lead the team on Sunday will hinge on the condition of regular captain Hardik Pandya. Pandya missed the May 4 encounter versus Lucknow Super Giants due to back spasms.
At this stage, everything is tied to Mumbai’s internal assessment process, with Ben Langley, the head of sports medicine at MI, and Nitin Patel, the physio, playing central roles in the decision-making. Pandya reportedly completed a fitness test on Friday and is scheduled for another evaluation on Saturday.
Pandya did not join the squad’s activities in Raipur. He is, though, expected to take part in training later in the evening once he is assessed and cleared for workload.
Play-off equation: 14 points still viewed as possible
As the league stage moves toward its final stretch, the usual benchmark of 16 points for qualification into the last four is being debated. Given the pattern of recent results, there is growing belief that teams reaching 14 points might still find a pathway into the play-offs. That scenario has kept Mumbai Indians in the conversation, even though they currently sit ninth on the points table with only three wins from their first 10 matches.
MI’s route to a 14-point total is still open: they would need to win each of their final four matches to reach 14 points, depending on how other results shape up.
- Mumbai Indians face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur on Sunday, with Suryakumar expected to feature and the captaincy decision depending on Hardik Pandya’s fitness.
- After the Raipur game, MI travel to Dharamsala for their match against Punjab Kings on May 14.
- MI then head to Eden Gardens to play Kolkata Knight Riders on May 20.
- The league stage ends for Mumbai at the Wankhede on May 24, with a day game against Rajasthan Royals.
