MI vs LSG IPL 2026: Why Is Hardik Pandya Not Playing Today Against Lucknow?

Mumbai Indians played the IPL 2026 home match against Lucknow Super Giants without captain Hardik Pandya on May 04, 2026, at the Wankhede Stadium. Suryakumar Yadav led the side instead, walking out for the toss for the bottom-of-the-table clash.

During the toss, Suryakumar Yadav stated that Hardik felt unwell shortly before the game. "He's (Hardik) not well tonight, so just going into his shoes. But yeah, the rest, everything is fine," Stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav said during the toss.

Mumbai Indians later clarified that Hardik was dealing with back spasms, ruling the all-rounder out of the contest against Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai.

MI vs LSG: Mumbai's Poor Performance In IPL 2026

Mumbai Indians chose to bowl first. The update also noted that Rohit Sharma returned to the playing XI,

while Hardik missed out because of illness. For Lucknow Super Giants, Josh Inglis came back, and Musheer Khan Raghuvanshi made an IPL debut.

Mumbai Indians entered this fixture with a poor record in IPL 2026. The team stood ninth on the points table with four points, the same as last-placed Lucknow Super Giants. Both sides, therefore, approached the Wankhede Stadium game trying to move away from the bottom positions.

Hardik's personal numbers in IPL 2026 reflected the broader team's struggle. Across eight innings, Hardik scored 146 runs at an average of 20.85 and a strike rate of 136.44. With the ball, Hardik managed four wickets in eight matches for the Mumbai Indians.

MI vs LSG: Rohit Sharma Returns To Playing 11

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma made his return to the playing XI of the Mumbai Indians for their IPL 2026 clash against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

The T20 World Cup-winning captain had been sidelined since April 12, when he retired out on 19 off 13 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

A hamstring injury kept the former skipper out for five league matches, a period during which Mumbai struggled for consistency. The side currently sits ninth on the points table, level with Lucknow. In his four appearances this season, Rohit has scored 137 runs at an average of 45.66, striking at 165.06.