Hardik Pandya trains alone in Mumbai as MI head to Dharamsala without skipper

Hardik Pandya trained separately in Mumbai while the rest of the Mumbai Indians squad travelled to Dharamsala for their IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings, raising further doubts over the captain’s availability.

Late on Tuesday night, Hardik shared videos on Instagram showing himself batting in the nets against throwdown specialists and net bowlers as he continued recovery from a back spasm that has ruled him out of Mumbai’s last two matches.

The MI skipper did not travel with the squad earlier this week. Team players and support staff had reached Dharamsala on Monday afternoon, but Hardik was absent from the travelling contingent.

It also remains unclear whether he will join the squad before Mumbai’s next fixture.

Hardik had also arrived late for MI’s match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur but did not feature in the game. Ahead of that match, MI had said: “Hardik has not been cleared by the medical team to take the field.”

According to reports, the all-rounder’s injury is currently being assessed by the support staff in Mumbai.

Hardik has faced mounting scrutiny during a disappointing IPL 2026 season for Mumbai Indians, who were among the first teams to be eliminated from playoff contention. The captain has scored 146 runs and taken only four wickets so far this season.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav also did not travel with the squad to Dharamsala due to personal reasons after recently becoming a father. The India T20I captain, who led MI during Hardik’s absence, is expected to join the team later.

Following Mumbai’s playoff exit after a narrow two-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, head coach Mahela Jayawardene admitted the side had failed to meet expectations this season.

“Yeah, I mean, the season, it’s disappointing,” Jayawardene said after the defeat.

“We’ve had our opportunities. We were not good enough. We were not consistent enough with the ball, with the bat, and that showed the margins,” he added.