Hardik Pandya Out of RCB Clash, MI Appoint New Captain

Mumbai Indians suffered a major blow ahead of their crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru as captain Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the match.

At the toss in Raipur, it was Suryakumar Yadav who walked out instead of Hardik and he confirmed that MI would be led by him for the high-voltage clash at the Shaheed Veer Narayan International Stadium. However, fans were left searching for answers when they realised that Pandya would not be leading the side in this match as well.

Why Hardik Pandya Is Not Playing Today Match?

MI's stand-in skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, did not reveal the exact reason behind Hardik Pandya’s absence during the toss update. However, the all-rounder had also missed MI’s previous clash against Lucknow Super Giants, where reports suggested he was dealing with illness.

Ahead of the RCB game, MI had stated that Hardik was still being monitored by the medical team before a final call was taken on his availability. He had already joined the team in time for this particular match, which had raised expectations of him playing the game.

However, fans are speculating if fitness is the only reason behind his absence or his poor performance in the tournament, which has led him to lose his spot in the playing XI for the RCB vs MI IPL 2026 match.

More to follow…