New Delhi: In a major boost for Mumbai Indians, their captain Hardik Pandya will be available for the IPL 2026 clash against Rajasthan Royals at the ACA Stadium in Bursapara, Guwahati, the franchise’s bowling coach Paras Mehmbare confirmed on Monday.“He will be available, he had a long net session yesterday, he is fit and fine. Just to clarify, Hardik is not injured, he was sick, that’s why he was ruled out,” Membry said in the pre-match press conference.Pandya, a key figure in the team, missed MI’s previous tour due to illness, and his absence proved costly in Saturday’s six-wicket defeat by Delhi Capitals.While India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav stepped in to lead and ensure continuity, the five-time IPL champion missed Pandya’s all-round abilities on a tougher surface.His absence also forced another change in the collection. Deepak Chahar, who was drafted in for the game, bowled cleanly, but the decision to replace South African left-arm pacer Trent Boult with fast all-rounder Corbin Bosch backfired.Despite taking two early wickets in the second article, MIDC could not stop chasing the target of 163 runs with 11 balls and six wickets to spare.Shardul Thakur, who worked with the ball in his opening game, was expensive in the last outing, while the ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah has been economical but is yet to open his account this season.In the spin department, Mitchell Santner justified his selection ahead of Afghan mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar and is likely to retain his spot.However, MI’s bowlers will need to step up their game against Rajasthan’s top order, who are in excellent form so far.RR openers Yashvi Jaiswal and teenage sensation Vibhu Suryavanshi have provided an explosive start, followed by Dhruv Jorel who has been pushing the pace.New captain Ryan Parag is yet to make a significant contribution with the bat but will take confidence from his leadership, especially his tactical decisions at the death which guided Royals to a thrilling win against Gujarat Titans.Among the bowlers, Tushar Deshpande and Ravi Bishnoi have been impressive.Bishnoi has emerged as the joint-leading wicket-taker with five scalps in two matches, marking a strong turnaround after a challenging 2025 season in which he worked on several aspects of his game.Deshpande, meanwhile, showed off his death bowling skills by successfully defending 10 runs in the last over against the Titans, with just a series of four-point yorkers.With Mumbai, currently sixth on the points table, looking to bounce back and second-placed Rajasthan riding a wave of confidence, the outcome of the contest could depend on how effectively MI’s bowlers handle the Royals’ in-form top order.
