Mumbai Indians could descend into further injury crisis with captain Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav both absent as the squad touched down in Raipur ahead of the game against RCB. Pandya had missed MI's win over LSG at Wankhede due to a back spasm. In his absence, Surya was captain, but his absence has added further intrigue to the clash.
Mumbai Indians squad assembled at the Mumbai airport but both Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav were absent. While Hardik's absence is forced due to injury, Surya is believed to have not travelled due to family reasons.
Why are Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav not travelling?
Suryakumar Yadav flipped the coin as regular skipper Mumbai Indians Hardik Pandya was missing from the playing XI against Lucknow Super Giants. The speculations were rife that he had been dropped after string of losses under his captaincy this season.
“He is not well tonight, so I’m just going into his shoes,” Yadav said at the toss against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. MI later confirmed in a statement that the all-rounder was missing the game due to 'back spasms'.
As for Suryakumar Yadav, the reasons behind his absence are unclear. Veteran journalist Vijay Tagore has hinted on X that Surya was missing out due to family reasons.
Who captains Mumbai if both Surya and Hardik don't feature?
There is still enough time for both Hardik and Surya to make it to Raipur, with the game against RCB set for Sunday. In the case that they do not feature, Mumbai have a plethora of captaincy options to choose from.
Jasprit Bumrah will be a front runner to assume captaincy duties despite his iffy form. Rohit Sharma has led the franchise to five title and could also be consulted. Tilak Varma is also an option with many believing him to be the future cornerstone of the franchise.
