IPL 2026: Is Hardik Pandya’s journey over? Before the big match against RCB, Mumbai Indians got a big blow!

Raipur: In the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the difficulties are not showing any less for the five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI). This season has been like a nightmare for the team, where it has got only 3 wins in 10 matches. Now amidst the struggle to keep alive the faint hopes of playoffs, a big news is coming out about team captain Hardik Pandya.

Captain was seen missing at the time of departure to Raipur

Mumbai Indians will face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 19 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. But before this important match, Hardik Pandya was not seen with the team. According to reports, when the entire team was leaving for Raipur from Mumbai airport, Pandya was not a part of the squad. It is not yet clear whether he will reach Raipur directly or will stay out of this match.

Will the command be on Surya’s shoulders again?

In the absence of Hardik Pandya, there are once again speculations about Suryakumar Yadav taking over the captaincy. It is noteworthy that even in the last match played against Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede, Hardik could not play due to ‘back spasm’ and Surya led the team.

Statistics increased Pandya’s tension

The year 2026 has been very disappointing for Hardik as a player and captain:

Batting only 146 runs in 8 matches (strike rate 136.45).

– Bowling: Only 4 successes in 8 matches.

– Captaincy record: As the captain of Mumbai, Hardik has taken command in 37 matches so far, out of which the team has lost 23 and won only 14.

Now it remains to be seen whether Mumbai’s fortunes will turn on the Raipur ground or the team will have to go through another tough test under the captaincy of Surya against RCB.