Mumbai Indians are all set to face Punjab Kings in Dharamsala as they look to restore some pride after being officially knocked out of the IPL 2026 playoffs. However, there remains a lot of uncertainty over captain Hardik Pandya’s availability ahead of the crucial clash.Pandya missed Mumbai’s previous two games against Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru due to lingering back spasms and, as reported by this masthead earlier, is highly unlikely to feature against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.The MI regular captain did not travel with the squad to Dharamsala and instead stayed back in Mumbai to continue the recovery process. While the rest of the team headed north, Pandya posted videos of himself undergoing an intense three-hour solo training session at Reliance Corporate Park, suggesting that he is still working on regaining full fitness.In Hardik’s absence, Suryakumar Yadav led Mumbai Indians as interim captain. However, there is also uncertainty surrounding its availability. Suryakumar stayed back in Mumbai after recently becoming a father following the birth of his baby girl with wife Devisha Shetty.
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Mahela Jayawardene reflects on MI’s disappointing IPL 2026 campaignInterestingly, SKY was also left out of the squad ahead of MI’s previous match against RCB in Raipur but traveled separately on the day of the match to appear in the game. A similar possibility remains open even ahead of the Dharamsala clash.
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What is your prediction for MI vs PBKS match?
Punjab Kings are currently ranked 4th and are holding on to the last playoff spot, while Mumbai Indians are sitting at 9th and have already been officially eliminated from the tournament. A win today will take Punjab Kings to 15 points, strengthen their position in the top 4 and put pressure on chasing teams like Chennai and Rajasthan. Even if Mumbai can’t qualify, they can still damage Punjab’s playoff aspirations by spoiling tonight.
