Hardik Pandya is set to feature in Mumbai Indians upcoming game against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, after the skipper joined the team in Raipur on Thursday.
Hardik had missed MI’s last match against Lucknow Super Giants due to a back spasm on Monday. He was advised rest for the game.
“Checked-in Raipur,” MI wrote on ‘X’ along with a photo of Hardik on Thursday.
A full-fledged training session is scheduled at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium and Hardik is expected to train in the nets on Friday.
During MI’s last IPL 2026 match against LSG, Suryakumar Yadav captained the side in the absence of Hardik. After MI’s convincing win, team-mate Ryan Rickelton spoke about concerns surrounding Hardik’s fitness during the post-match press conference.
“I don’t know when he’s expected to be back. I found out this afternoon that he had back spasms, so I’m unaware of the extent of it. I don’t want to call it an injury; I’m unaware of the extent of how bad it is or what he’s feeling. But I’m sure he’ll be with the group again as we head to Raipur this week,” Rickelton had said.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on five-time winners Mumbai Indians in a blockbuster clash on Sunday evening.
Mumbai are currently placed ninth on the points table with three wins and seven losses. They now need to win all their remaining matches to stay alive in the playoff race. RCB, meanwhile, slipped to third place after suffering their fourth defeat of the season against Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday.
