New Delhi: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has offered a glimmer of hope to fans by posting an Instagram story showing him training at the Reliance facility in Mumbai. The all-rounder had missed the team's previous Indian Premier League 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru due to back spasms, raising concerns over his availability for the upcoming clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Thursday.
The star all-rounder shared visuals of himself practicing, indicating that he is gradually working his way back to full fitness. However, despite resuming training, Hardik did not travel with the initial group of Mumbai Indians players to Dharamsala on Tuesday, according to a report from Cricbuzz. His absence from the traveling squad has once again cast doubt on his participation in the fixture.
Medical staff monitoring Hardik's condition
The Mumbai Indians support staff is reportedly continuing to monitor Hardik's condition before making a final decision on whether he will join the squad later. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene had earlier confirmed that Hardik has been dealing with a back issue and remains under treatment.
Jayawardene's statement after RCB loss
“Hardik had a back issue which we were trying to rectify, but it hasn’t settled in yet. The medical guys were working on him. He couldn’t train the last few days, so we didn’t want to take a risk,” Jayawardene had said after MI's loss to RCB. He added, “We’ll see. It’s on a day-to-day basis. See how he feels. And then we’ll make a decision on that.”
Franchise unlikely to rush captain
With Mumbai Indians already eliminated from the IPL 2026 playoff race, the franchise is unlikely to rush their captain back without full fitness clearance. Still, Hardik's latest training update has sparked optimism among fans, and it remains to be seen whether he links up with the squad before the Punjab Kings clash.
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