- By Sunny Daud
- Thu, 14 May 2026 06:11 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians (MI) are likely to feature without their regular skipper Hardik Pandya and stand-in captain in the upcoming clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS), which will take place in Dharamsala.
Both players are unlikely to be available for the game at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday night. If that happens, Mumbai Indians will have to appoint a new captain for the match.
Hardik Pandya traded to another IPL franchise?
There are speculations that Hardik Pandya has been traded to another IPL franchise, but Cricbuzz reported that this situation has nothing to do with the rumours.
Will Rohit lead in Hardik's absence?
Former captain Rohit Sharma is still part of the squad, but the management is unlikely to hand him the captaincy for this game.
Who will lead MI against PBKS?
At the moment, two names are being considered as possible stand-in captains, Jasprit Bumrah and Tilak Varma. However, no final decision has been made yet.
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Among the two, Bumrah could be the more likely option. He has been with Mumbai Indians since 2013 and is one of the most experienced players in the squad. Even though he has never officially captained the franchise before, he has led India in a few Test matches, including games in England in 2022 and Australia during the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, before choosing not to take up a long-term leadership role.
Bumrah has played 156 matches for Mumbai Indians, but captaincy has never been part of his IPL journey so far.
Meanwhile, both Pandya and Suryakumar are reportedly still not in Dharamsala. According to sources, travel tickets were booked for them, but there is no confirmation that either of them has reached the city.
Suryakumar, who has recently become a father, may have been given time off by the franchise. Mumbai Indians have usually been supportive of players during personal milestones like this.
The franchise is also out of the IPL playoff race this season, which gives them more flexibility in team selection and player workload at this stage of the tournament.
