IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya not part of squad travelling to Raipur for RCB clash, says report

Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya has reportedly not travelled with the squad to Raipur ahead of their match against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday.

According to a Cricbuzz report, the rest of the MI squad was seen assembling at Terminal 1 of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Wednesday, but Pandya was not present.

The report further noted that there is currently no indication of when, or even whether, the MI skipper will join the squad ahead of the RCB clash.

“He's not well tonight, so I'm just stepping into his shoes. But otherwise, everything is fine,” MI stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav had said at the toss.

"Hardik Pandya is unwell with a back spasm, hence Suryakumar Yadav is the captain for today's game," the Mumbai Indians said in a statement. Monday's game against Lucknow Super Giants was the second match Pandya missed this season, after missing the Delhi Capitals game in Delhi due to illness.

After the match against LSG, Ryan Rickelton had no detailed information regarding the possible return of his MI teammate. “I don't know when he's expected to be back. I only found out this afternoon that he had back spasms. So I'm not aware of the extent of it - I wouldn't even call it an injury - or how serious it is or what he's feeling. But I'm sure he'll be back with the group as we head to Raipur this week,” the South African had said.

The 32-year-old has had a mediocre season so far, scoring just 146 runs from eight matches and taking four wickets. He bowled in the game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on 2 May and batted as well, scoring 18 runs from 23 balls.

The five-time champions are currently languishing in ninth place with just six points from 10 matchesand face an uphill task to reach the playoffs.