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IPL 2026: Why Hardik Pandya is missing from Mumbai Indians’ clash against Delhi Capitals?

IPL 2026: Why Hardik Pandya is missing from Mumbai Indians’ clash against Delhi Capitals?

Hardik Pandya Photograph: (AFP)

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In Hardik's absence, Suryakumar Yadav is leading Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals on Saturday (Apr 4).

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya missed the team’s second IPL 2026 clash against Delhi Capitals on Saturday (Apr 4) due to illness. In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav led the side at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Speaking at the toss, India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain confirmed that Hardik was unfit to play.

“He’s (Hardik) not well. Just getting into his shoes today," Surya said during the toss.

This isn’t the first time Suryakumar has captained Mumbai Indians; he had earlier led the side in 2023 against Kolkata Knight Riders and also in their opening game of the 2025 season when Hardik served a one-match suspension.

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Mumbai made a few changes to their lineup for this away fixture, as Deepak Chahar was brought into the playing XI to replace Hardik. Meanwhile, Trent Boult and Allah Ghazanfar were left out for tactical reasons.

Corbin Bosch returned to the side in place of Boult, while Mitchell Santner came in for Ghazanfar after missing the season opener due to a delayed arrival.

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Mayank Markande, who bowled one over for MI in their IPL 2026 match against KKR on Sunday, was named among the impact player options along with Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Trent Boult and Ashwani Kumar.

Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, went unchanged, sticking with the same lineup that secured a win over Lucknow Super Giants earlier in the week.

Playing XIs

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah

Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (WK), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan and Mukesh Kumar

About the Author

Aditya Bhatia

Aditya Bhatia is a dynamic journalist with a strong passion for storytelling, whether it’s the thrill of live sports or the pulse of current affairs. While sports remain close to...Read More