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Skipper Hardik Pandya has missed Mumbai Indians' last two matches in IPL 2026 due to a back injury.
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Chennai, on Saturday, 2 May 2026. (PTI Photo/R Senthilkumar)(PTI)Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has provided an update on skipper Hardik Pandya's back injury that has kept him out of the last two matches.
Overall, Hardik Pandya has missed three matches after having been rested for the game against Delhi Capitals (DC) in April due to illness.
“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," Jayawardene said after the match against RCB on Sunday, which MI lost.
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Hardik Pandya was rested because he had a back issue that the medical team was working on. He couldn't train for a few days, and the team didn't want to take a risk without him being fully fit.
In eight matches played this season, Hardik Pandya has scored 146 runs at a strike rate of 136.44 and has not scored a half-century. He has also taken just four wickets.
For a short period after Mumbai Indians' loss to RCB, Hardik Pandya's Instagram following list reportedly did not include the Mumbai Indians account. However, the account was visible again shortly after.
Mahela Jayawardene described the season as disappointing, stating that the team had opportunities but were not consistent enough with bat or ball. He mentioned they were a few wins away from being playoff contenders but fell short.
Hardik Pandya had missed three matches after being rested for the game against Delhi Capitals due to illness. He was sidelined for the match against RCB due to a back issue that had not settled.
Following the loss, Mumbai Indians were officially eliminated from IPL 2026. "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,” the former Sri Lanka captain added.
In eight matches that he has played this season, Hardik Pandya has scored just 146 runs at a strike-rate of 136.44.
He has not even scored a half-century this season. The 32-year-old has taken just four wickets from eight matches, and this is in stark contrast to the 14 wickets that he took from 15 matches last season.
Mahela Jayawardene reflects on MI's poor season
Jayawardene also reflected on a disappointing season for MI. Mumbai Indians are in ninth place with six points from 11 matches. The most they can get to now is 12 points.
“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 48-year-old Mahela Jayawardene explained.
Mumbai Indians have not won the IPL since 2020, when they defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final to lift their fifth title. Since then, they have qualified for the playoffs just twice (In 2023 and 2025) and even endured a 10th place finish in IPL 2024.
Mumbai Indians will next lock horns against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala on Thursday. They will then end their campaign with matches against Kolkata Knight Riders (20 May in Kolkata) and Rajasthan Royals (24 May in Mumbai).
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