Hardik Pandya was not part of the Mumbai Indians group that arrived in Raipur for their game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Suryakumar Yadav is therefore expected to carry on as captain at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium.
Back spasm and the win over Lucknow
Hardik had already missed MI’s previous fixture, against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium on May 4, because of a back spasm. Suryakumar took over and steered the side to a six-wicket win while chasing a demanding target of 229.
Availability still unclear
According to reports, there is no official word on whether Hardik will be fit for the RCB match, although he still has a couple of days in which to recover. The franchise is said to be unsure how serious the problem is, but he may yet join the squad in Raipur.
Ryan Rickelton, the MI batter, spoke after the Lucknow game and said he had only been told on match day about the captain’s back spasms. He added that he hoped Hardik would rejoin the group while the team was travelling.
Until the club confirms anything, Suryakumar remains the likely leader for the clash in Raipur.
