Mumbai Indians are set to face Punjab Kings in Dharamsala as they look to restore some pride after being officially eliminated from the IPL 2026 playoff race. However, ahead of the crucial clash, there remains major uncertainty over the availability of captain Hardik Pandya.Pandya missed Mumbai’s previous two matches against Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru due to persistent back spasms, and as earlier reported by this masthead, he is highly unlikely to feature against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.The regular MI skipper did not travel with the squad to Dharamsala and instead stayed back in Mumbai to continue his recovery process. While the rest of the team headed north, Pandya posted videos of himself undergoing an intense three-hour solo training session at the Reliance Corporate Park, indicating that he is still working towards regaining full fitness.In Hardik’s absence, Suryakumar Yadav has been leading Mumbai Indians as interim captain. However, there is uncertainty surrounding his availability as well. Suryakumar stayed back in Mumbai after recently becoming a father following the birth of his baby girl with wife Devisha Shetty.
Interestingly, SKY had also remained away from the squad before MI’s previous match against RCB in Raipur but travelled separately on match day to feature in the game. A similar possibility remains open ahead of the Dharamsala clash. The Punjab Kings are currently in 4th place, holding onto the final playoff spot, while the Mumbai Indians sit down in 9th place and have already been officially eliminated from the tournament. A victory today will push Punjab Kings to 15 points, strengthening their position in the top 4 and putting pressure on the chasing teams like Chennai and Rajasthan. While Mumbai cannot qualify, they can still damage Punjab’s playoff aspirations by pulling off an upset tonight.
