Hardik Pandya trained separately in Mumbai while the rest of the Mumbai Indians squad travelled to Dharamsala for their IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings. Late on Tuesday night, the MI skipper shared videos on Instagram story showing him batting in the nets against throwdown specialists and net bowlers.
Hardik has missed Mumbai’s last two matches because of a back spasm and did not travel with the squad earlier this week, raising doubts over his availability for the Punjab fixture. The MI players and support staff had arrived in Dharamsala on Monday afternoon, but the captain was notably absent from the travelling group. It also remains unclear whether Hardik will join the squad later, ahead of their next encounter.
Pandya also arrived late in Raipur for MI’s clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but he didn’t play. “Hardik has not been cleared by the medical team to take the field,” stated MI before the RCB clash.
According to a Cricbuzz report, Hardik’s injury is currently being assessed by the support staff in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has also faced mounting pressure during a disappointing season for Mumbai Indians, who became one of the first teams to be eliminated from the playoff race. The captain’s own performances have come under scrutiny as well, with Hardik scoring 146 runs so far while managing only four wickets with the ball.
Suryakumar Yadav was also not part of the squad that travelled to Dharamsala, though his absence is due to personal reasons after recently becoming a father. The India T20I captain, who has stepped in to lead the side during Hardik Pandya’s absence, is likely to join the team in Dharamsala at a later stage.
MI not good enough in IPL 2026
Meanwhile, Mahela Jayawardene did not hold back after the Mumbai Indians’ narrow two-wicket loss to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended their IPL 2026 playoff chances, saying the side was simply “not good enough” this season. The defeat confirmed MI’s elimination and marked a disappointing finish for the five-time champions.
Jayawardene pointed to missed opportunities across the campaign, with Mumbai failing to find consistency at crucial stages despite occasional strong performances. The loss to RCB proved the final blow, officially knocking them out of the race. It was a season in which MI struggled to string together results, ultimately falling short of the standards expected of the franchise.
“Yeah, I mean, the season, it’s disappointing,” Jayawardene said after the match.
“We’ve had our opportunities. We were not good enough. We were not consistent enough with the ball, with the bat, and that showed the margins,” he added.
