Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya will be available for the IPL 2026 clash against Rajasthan Royals at the ACA Stadium in Barsapara, Guwahati, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey confirmed on Monday.
The all-rounder sat out of MI’s previous clash against the Delhi Capitals after being unwell in the lead-up to the game.
“Hardik Pandya is available. He had a couple of nets session. He is fine. He was not injured, but was unwell. That’s the reason he was unavailable last game,” the bowling coach said during the pre-match press conference ahead of the clash.
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Hardik’s spot was taken up by Deepak Chahar, who managed to scalp the wicket of KL Rahul in the first over, although there was a big slice of luck invovled in the strangle down legside.
Despite picking two in the first six overs, the Mumbai-based franchise couldn’t prevent DC from chasing down the 163-run target with eleven balls and six wickets to spare.
Hardik struck an unbeaten 18 with the bat in MI’s first game against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and returned figures of one for 39.
Published on Apr 06, 2026
