IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians Captain Hardik Pandya might miss his upcoming match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, 10th May. It will be the 11th game of the Mumbai Indians this season. MI has been going through the worst season in its entire IPL history. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians are struggling to finish top of the table. They are 2nd last from the bottom in the points table. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya is getting brutally trolled for his performance as a skipper this season so far. According to Media Reports, Hardik is not traveling for the next match in Raipur’s Saheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.
Is the captain not traveling?
According to Media Reports, Mumbai Indians players gathered at Mumbai airport’s Terminal 1 (domestic) on Wednesday afternoon ahead of their upcoming fixture, but Hardik Pandya was not part of the squad. There is currently no clarity on whether he will link up with the team closer to the match.
Pandya, retained by MI for ₹16.35 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, had also missed their previous IPL 2026 game against Lucknow Super Giants due to illness. In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav led the side as captain.
Hardik Pandya This Season
Hardik Pandya, who is leading Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026, has featured in eight matches this season but hasn’t been able to make a strong impact with either bat or ball. Across these games, he has scored 146 runs in total.His batting average this season stands at 20.86, while he has struck at 136.44. Pandya has hit 16 fours and 4 sixes so far in the tournament.With the ball, he has taken only four wickets in eight matches, and his bowling has gone for runs at an economy rate of 11.90, reflecting an expensive spell overall.
Do or Die Game for MI
Mumbai Indians will face Royal Challengers Bangalore the defending Champion. This match will be Do or Die match for Hardik Pandya’s team, As Mi have Played 10 matches where they have won only 3 matches which collectively makes 6 points, To alive in the battle of Playoffs it will be must win game for them and to win remaining matches, Otherwise they will get knockout of the tournament. Hopefully, Men in blue will make a comeback as former Skipper Rohit Sharma is back in form.
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