NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya is likely to join the squad in Raipur on Thursday for their fixture against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday. The all-rounder did not travel with the first batch of players on Wednesday and will link up with the squad later.
It is reliably learnt that Pandya was advised a precautionary rest for about a week after the back spasm he sustained against the Chennai Super Kings. This forced him to miss his side's home fixture against the Lucknow Super Giants, and the decision on his participation in Raipur will likely be made closer to the fixture, just like the franchise did in the case of Rohit Sharma, who missed nearly a month of competitive cricket due to a hamstring injury. It is further understood that there is no need to panic. Even if he misses the RCB fixture, the think tank expects him to be on the park, wearing the captain's armband, for the following matches.
Pandya was not the only absentee from the players who travelled on Wednesday, as Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Tilak Varma, Quinton de Kock, and some other foreign players also did not travel. Travelling in batches was always the plan because the five-time champions had a long break between fixtures and wanted to allow their players to recharge their batteries before the next challenge. Apart from Pandya, there is suspense over Suryakumar Yadav's participation in the next fixture, as the right-hander might miss it for personal reasons. Rohit Sharma travelled with the first batch on Wednesday and will push to regain complete match fitness before the big fixture against the RCB.
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About the Author: Sahil Malhotra reports all things cricket for Times of India and has extensively covered the game from grassroots level for over 15 years. Cricket in whites is still love at every sight.
