Hardik Pandya Reaches Kolkata With Mumbai Team; Will he Return as Captain For KKR Clash in IPL 2026?

KKR vs MI, IPL 2026: Allrounder Hardik Pandya has traveled with the Mumbai Indians team and has reached Kolkata. Now the question is, will he lead the side in case he is in the starting line-up? Hardik has not featured for Mumbai in their past few games. The word was that he had picked up a back spasm. But over the past few days, videos of him batting and bowling in the nets have come to light and that clearly suggests that he has gotten over the discomfort. From his form to his equation with the others, multiple speculations were doing the rounds once he was absent for the MI matches. 

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Will Hardik Lead MI? 

MI defeated LSG and almost defeated RCB under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy. In the last game, MI also defeated PBKS under Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy.

Now, this is going to be a tricky call for the management as Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah were leading the side in the allrounder's absence. Multiple reports suggest that the management is not exactly happy with Hardik and there could be a change at the helm next season. 

Not long back, MI's Shardul Thakur had gone on record and claimed that he expects to see Hardik play against Kolkata. 

“If we talk specifically about Hardik Pandya, he had an injury and he did not travel with the team. He travelled to Raipur, but he was not able to play there. He is now in Mumbai training. I am expecting him to return to action in Kolkata and play the game,” Thakur said. 

For the unversed, MI are already out of the playoff race and are playing for pride now. After the game against Kolkata, MI would play their last game of the season versus Rajasthan.