Mumbai Indians bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said skipper Hardik Pandya will be available for the clash against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Tuesday, April 7. Hardik lost to Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. clash with leader Suryakumar Yadav made him unwell.
Ahead of the match against RR, the MI captain was shown back in the nets as he was seen bowling and batting with high intensity. This was seen as a positive sign for MI fans and Mhambrey confirmed that the Indian all-rounder is fit and well.
“To answer your first question, he will be available. We had a good few hours of clean sessions yesterday so he is fit and fine,” said Mhambrey.
Talking about how MI can perform without Hardik, Mhambrey endorsed the team’s strength to perform well in different conditions even without their captain.
“I think that’s something you’re going to have to go through. Injuries are something you can’t control, but I think we’ve got the squad, we’ve got enough guys to do it and look at the surface combinations, but yeah, I think we’ve got enough guys to look around a bit,” Mhambrey said.
WHY DID BOSCH COME FOR BOULT?
MI brought on Corbin Bosch for Trent Bouult for the clash with DC. When asked if the move was due to Hardik’s unavailability, Mhambrey confirmed that it was because they needed to fill the void left by the Indian star.
“Yeah, I think it’s just a combination, obviously Hardik gives you that all-rounder option with bat and ball.
“Because he wasn’t available, we needed some kind of replacement to fill that role for us, so it’s a purely tactical decision that we went with him,” said Mhambrey.
The MI captain has scored 506 runs in 16 matches against RR at an average of 72.29 and a strike rate of 173.29. During this time he picked 12 wickets.
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Published on:
06 Apr 2026 19:17 IST
