Hardik Pandya set to be available for the RR vs MI IPL 2026 match? Check details

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya is set to be available for the match against the Rajasthan Royals at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on April 07, after missing their last game against the Delhi Capitals due to illness. Ahead of the match, he also returned to the nets for the practise session, which indicates the availability of his participation in the match. In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav led the side against DC in the previous game. However, MI lost the match by 6 wickets. 

Due to Hardik’s unavailability in the last game, MI management made a couple of changes in that match. Management selected Deepak Chahar and Corbin Bosch in the playing XI, while Trent Boult missed the match to maintain the overseas player balance. 

The Mumbai Indians' social media team shared a couple of videos of Hardik Pandya’s net sessions. The videos capture Hardik’s bowling practise in front of a physiotherapist, Nitin Patel and other players. The other video captures his batting session. 

Mumbai Indians' bowling coach Paras Mhambrey confirmed that the regular MI skipper will return to lead the side against Rajasthan Royals. He also stated that Hardik was never injured and was sick. 

"Hardik Pandya is available. He had a couple of net sessions. He is fine. He was not injured, but was unwell. That’s the reason he was unavailable last game," Mhambrey said in the pre-match press conference.

Hardik's return must surely have boosted the morale of the Mumbai Indians squad. The team will be looking to put the defeat in the previous match behind them and get back on the winning track once again. However, it will be quite interesting to see how many changes the management makes to the Playing XI following Hardik's return. 

In the previous match, Deepak Chahar claimed one wicket while conceding a mere 20 runs in three overs; given this performance, dropping him will not be an easy decision. Furthermore, Mitchell Santner also proved to be quite economical. Under these circumstances, Hardik could potentially return to take Corbin Bosch's spot in the Playing XI. Apart from Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult will also return to the playing XI. In this case, Ryan Rickelton, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult might be the 4 overseas players in the playing XI. 

The Mumbai Indians are currently in the 6th position in the points table, with 1 victory and 1 loss. They started their campaign with a significant 6-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, they lost their second game against the Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets. After the Rajasthan Royals, the 5-time champions will face the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 12. 

Predicted MI playing XI against RR 

Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya ©, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
Impact player — Mayank Markande