After missing Mumbai Indians last two matches because of back spasms, skipper Hardik Pandya was spotted training alone in the nets ahead of their match in IPL 2026 against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Thursday.
Hardik shared a video on his Instagram account where he is batting in the nets, looking all set to take the field against Punjab. However, the franchise is yet to confirm his availability for the match on Thursday.
MI’s last match was against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 10 in Raipur, where they suffered a last-ball defeat to crash out of IPL 2026 playoffs race. Hardik had joined the squad before the match but was not deemed fit to play the match.
With no playoff hopes alive, MI have three more group matches to play, Sunil Gavaskar has urged the franchise to play the youngsters in the remaining games.
“In T20 cricket, ups and downs are bound to happen. Once the season ends, that’s the right time to properly assess what went wrong. But at this stage, my view is that the senior players have given everything they had. Now, it may be the right opportunity to give younger players a chance in the remaining matches. That will help the franchise understand how these youngsters handle pressure and whether they can justify the faith shown in them,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
The match against PBKS may be an inconsequential one for MI, but for the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings it is a crucial match, having suffered four consecutive losses in their previous outings.
