Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, will miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 fixture against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, and in his place, Suryakumar Yadav will be leading the side. This is the second time that the all-rounder is missing a game for the Mumbai Indians, as the same had happened earlier during the match against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Suryakumar, who has been coping with criticism for his poor form in IPL 2026, came out for the toss and was seen giggling around with LSG skipper Rishabh Pant. The India T20 World Cup-winning captain said the all-rounder was “unwell,” so he was stepping into Hardik’s shoes.
“He is not well tonight, so I’m just going into his shoes,” said Suryakumar at the toss.
The Mumbai Indians media team also issued an update on Hardik, saying the all-rounder suffered a back spasm and hence didn’t play the match against LSG on Monday. “Hardik Pandya is unwell with back spasm, hence Suryakumar Yadav is captain for today’s game,” a MI spokesperson said.
Rohit Sharma, who missed the previous few matches for the five-time champions due to a hamstring injury, also regained full fitness and was named in the Mumbai Indians’ team for the match against Lucknow Super Giants.
The Mumbai Indians, who are currently placed ninth in the points table, made several changes for the contest against LSG, bringing in Corbin Bosch and Rohit into the lineup.
‘Not an easy season’
The Mumbai Indians stand-in captain also added that the franchise cannot run away from the fact that the team haven’t performed to expectations in the IPL 2026 season. He also said that the side needs to put their best foot forward in the remaining five matches.
“See, we cannot run away from this fact. The Mumbai Indians are not known to be in such positions. But at the end of the day, you have got to put your chin up and play the game. Put your hands up, play for pride and enjoy the side,” said Suryakumar.
“We can try and put our best foot forward. We have five games left and try to win as many games as possible. Try and show character,” he added.
Speaking of the toss for the game between Mumbai and Lucknow, Surya won the flip of the coin and opted to bowl first. When asked about the rationale behind his decision, the 35-year-old said, “It looks good. It’s a little humid also tonight. There’s no wind. In the second innings, we saw what happened here in the last 2-3 games. So it became a little better. So, I just want to take advantage and give it to the bowlers.”
A loss against the Lucknow Super Giants would officially lead to Mumbai Indians crashing out of the IPL 2026 playoffs race and there won’t be any mathematical chance left.