Monday brought an unexpected twist just before Mumbai Indians faced the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026. Suryakumar Yadav appeared at the toss instead of regular skipper Hardik Pandya, leaving supporters puzzled. No one saw it coming – not even Ryan Rickelton, who shares the dressing room with both players. Only by mid-afternoon that day did he learn Pandya was sidelined due to injury. Later, once play ended, Rickelton shared how events truly unfolded behind the scenes.
Back under pressure after Mumbai’s rough stretch, Hardik set things up for Rohit Sharma coming back into the squad. In another adjustment, Corbin Bosch stepped in for Trent Bouolt – everyone else stayed put. From shaky moments rose a chance to reset.
Out of nowhere, Suryakumar Yadav had to step in as Mumbai’s captain. A question came up on why Hardik wasn’t playing. He replied, simply, the player “was not well.” Later facts showed something else – back spasms were what kept him out. Truth unfolded a bit slower than expected.
“I don’t know when he is expected to be back. I found out myself this afternoon that he had back spasms. I don’t know the extent of the injury or how bad it is. I am not sure how he is feeling, but I am sure that he will be with us again as we head to Raipur this week,” Rickelton said during the press conference when asked about Hardik’s return and the nature of the injury.
Hope still sits with Rickelton, though exactly what ails Pandya isn’t spelled out. The chance of him returning for the next games keeps lingering in camp.
When play began, MI chose fielding. Hitting big came naturally to Nicholas Pooran – he made 63 from just 21 deliveries, mixing one boundary with eight huge clears of the rope. Mitchell Marsh followed close behind, racing to 44 in 25 shots, finding six fours along with three maximums. Himmat Singh added weight too, crafting 40 across 31 attempts, balancing two fours and a pair of sixes. Together, their efforts lifted LSG to a total of 228 runs for five wickets.
A sudden flurry of boundaries lit up the innings when Rickelton slammed 83 from just 32 deliveries – six fours, eight sixes fueling the surge. Rohit matched it pace for pace, crafting his own 84 off 44, laced with six fours and seven towering sixes. Together, their stand piled on 143 runs without slowing. The scoreboard blinked rapidly as MI cleared the line in only 18.4 overs, the chase wrapped in sharp precision.
Mumbai Indians find themselves ninth, claiming three victories against seven defeats. Lucknow Super Giants trail behind, stuck at the foot of the standings after managing just two wins amid seven losses.
