Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya dropped a major hint about his whereabouts through his latest Instagram story, where the star all-rounder was seen training at the Reliance facility in Mumbai amid doubts over his availability for MI’s next IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Thursday.The all-rounder, who missed Mumbai Indians’ previous game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru due to back spasms, shared visuals of himself practising, suggesting that he is gradually working his way back to fitness.
However, despite resuming training, Hardik did not travel with the initial batch of MI players to Dharamsala on Tuesday, according to a report from Cricbuzz.His absence from the travelling squad has once again put his participation in doubt ahead of Wednesday’s fixture. The MI support staff is reportedly continuing to monitor his condition before taking a final call on whether he will join the squad later.
Hardik Pandya’s Instagram story
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene had earlier confirmed that Hardik has been struggling with a back issue and remains under treatment.“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 further 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.”With MI 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.
