Rohit Sharma To Return As MI Captain? Hardik Pandya And Suryakumar Yadav's 'Absence' Fuels Speculation: Report

Mumbai Indians are in a unique situation. The five-time champions are in the ninth place in the IPL 2026 with only three wins in 10 matches. They have six points, and wins in their remaining four games is extremely crucial for them to have a shot at the IPL 2026 playoffs. In the midst of this, they have faced a big blow, with captain Hardik Pandya struggling with an injury. Pandya, on Wednesday, was not part of a large first batch of Mumbai Indians players and support staff that travelled to Raipur from Mumbai for their next Indian Premier League game vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, according to news agency PTI. Pandya missed MI's last game on Monday against Lucknow Super Giants due to a back spasm.

It also remains to be seen how Pandya, who has missed two games due to health-related issues in this edition of the IPL, pulls up for the must-win clash against defending champions RCB at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium. Rohit Sharma was part of the first batch of MI players who went to Raipur. However, according to a report in India Today, Suryakumar Yadav, who was the stand-in captain for MI against LSG, was also not part of the first batch that travelled.

In this scenario, if by any chance both players are unavailable, will Rohit Sharma lead MI against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in case Pandya and SKY are not available? According to a report in India Today, Mumbai Indians are "likely to be without their stand-in captain SKY" for the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, May 10.

According to a PTI report, with a five-day gap between their last game on May 4 against Lucknow Super Giants and their next match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 10, the Mumbai Indians players and staff will make their way to Raipur in separate batches. However, his niggle is said to be a minor one, and a team source said he was advised rest for the game against LSG.

There are logistical reasons as well, with only a few flight options available between Mumbai and Raipur. The batch that travelled on Wednesday will not be training in Raipur on Thursday.

With seven defeats and three victories, Mumbai Indians are languishing in ninth place in the points table and need to win each of their remaining matches to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. While Suryakumar Yadav had stepped in to lead in Pandya's absence, opener Ryan Rickelton said after the game against LSG that he did not have much information on the matter.

"I don't know when he's expected to be back. I only found out this afternoon that he had back spasms. I'm unaware of the extent of it or how bad it is or what he's feeling. But I'm sure he'll be back with the group as we head to Raipur this week," Rickelton said

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