New Delhi: Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya resumed training at full speed on Tuesday and practiced for over three hours at the Reliance Corporate Campus. Hardik missed both IPL 2026 matches against Lucknow Supergiants and Royal Challengers Bangalore due to back spasms and is unlikely to be with the team for Thursday’s match against Kings XI Punjab in Dharamshala.
While MI continues to insist he is recovering from back spasms, the intense workouts – of which he uploaded some videos on social media – did raise eyebrows. Is there more than meets the eye? According to the Times of India, all was not well in the dressing room and Hardik’s absence from the game did raise some related questions.
The five-time Indian Cricket League champions arrived in Dharamshala from Chandigarh on Tuesday afternoon, but neither Hardik nor stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav accompanied the group. Suryakumar, who recently gave birth to a baby girl, is understood to have traveled to Mumbai along with Hardik and a few other players after Sunday’s match in Raipur. The rest of the team shifted to Chandigarh and then continued to Dharamshala.
It remains to be seen when Suryakumar will join the team as he was introduced on the day of the match against RCB. The team hopes that he can return to the team closer to the game against PBKS.
Mumbai Indians are in the midst of a forgettable season and sit ninth in the points table. The remaining games provide them with an opportunity to not only test their bench but also rest some underperforming superstars.
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Suryakumar and Tilak Varma have had ordinary outings with the bat apart from one hundred and one half-centuries, while Bumrah deserves a break after this lone battle. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene continues to back his “core players” and it seems like it’s time to test those faces who can consistently serve the team in the upcoming edition.