MI have been dealt with another blow, after they were knocked out of the IPL 2026 fairly early. Now, it seems for the Thursday’s match against PBKS, skipper Hardik Pandya & stand-in skipper Suryakymar Yadav won’t be available, as per a report in Cricbuzz. While Surya has been blessed with a baby girl, Hardik is still recovering from back spasms.
The captaincy duties might now fall on veteran pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been with the side since 2013. Despite the presence of Rohit Sharma in the team, the management is unlikely to go back to him for this. Another candidate who could take over is Tilak Varma, who has been able to rise the ranks in the side.
Having said that, the easier choice will be to go with Bumrah, who has some experience in leading Team India in Tests as well. On the other hand, Hardik and Surya are yet to arrive in Dharamsala, the venue for the next match. As per sources, the tickets for both the players are booked, but there is no clarity if they will travel or not.
Hardik Pandya here to stay
There were some speculations that the franchise might look to trade him — but that is far from truth. He had been traded from GT to MI after the 2023 season. As per various sources, no such high-profile move is happening again. In fact, he is expected to continue with MI for the foreseeable future.
Season ends poorly
Despite the team winning their first encounter of the tournament in over a decade, they could not use it to their advantage. All the senior members of the side failed to deliver. For starters, Rohit Sharma started slowly, and missed out a few matches due to injury. Bumrah has been ineffective, and has picked up only 3 wickets in 11 matches.
Pandya has 4 in 8 and his economy has been through the roof – 11.90. Surya has only scored 195 runs in 11 matches, and his average is 17 while SR is at 144.
Cricket
Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Rahane set to be sacked from captaincy after horrible IPL 2026 campaigns
