Suryakumar Yadav leads Mumbai Indians in MI v LSG in IPL 2026; what happened to Hardik Pandya? Rohit Sharma returns too
Suryakumar Yadav is leading Mumbai Indians against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2026, after Hardik Pandya was forced to sit out. Rohit Sharma also returned to the Mumbai Indians playing XI after five games.
Mumbai Indians were forced to leave out captain Hardik Pandya against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in an important battle of bottom-placed teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium. Studded with Indian national team starts, the five-time champions are going through a lean phase in this year's IPL, winning just two matches so far.
While everyone expected Pandya to come out for the toss, Indian T20 World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav surprised everyone as he walked to the middle alongside LSG's Rishabh Pant in the middle.
“He's (Hardik) not well tonight, so just going into his shoes. But yeah, the rest, everything is fine,” informed Suryakumar at the coin toss. An official update from Mumbai Indians media team clarified that Pandya suffered a back spasm. “Hardik Pandya is unwell with back spasm, hence Suryakumar Yadav is captain for today’s game,” the statement from Mumbai Indians said.
Besides Pandya, Mumbai Indians have also drafted in Corbin Bosch, replacing Trent Boult. Mumbai Indians opted to bowl first. However, the biggest cheer was reserved for Rohit Sharma. As soon as Suryakumar informed about Rohit's availability, the whole stadium erupted in the background. “Our very own Rohit Sharma is back,” said Suryakumar.
The five-time IPL-winning captain suffered a hamstring injury against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 12 and had to retire hurt for just 19. Since then, Rohit missed five games for Mumbai Indians. Out of those five, Mumbai Indians lost in four of them. But Rohit will only play as an impact substitute.
The 37-year-old wasn't included in the playing XI after Suryakumar won the toss an opted to bowl first. He will come out to open the Mumbai Indians innings with Ryan Rickelton in company. On the other hand, LSG too have made three changes from the last game. LSG handed Australian Josh Inglis a debut, replacing George Linde. Mukul Choudhary had to sit out for debutant Akshat Raghuwanshi.
MI vs LSG playing XIs
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Himmat Singh, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton(w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar, Raghu Sharma
MI vs LSG impact subs list
Lucknow Super Giants: Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mayank Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abdul Samad
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult
Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.
About the Author
Koushik lives and breathes sports. After transitioning from his own aspirations of becoming a professional athlete, he successfully channeled that lifelong passion into a prolific career, documenting the action both from the sidelines and the editorial desk. With over eight years of industry experience, Koushik joined LiveMint as a Deputy Chief Content Producer in 2024, following impactful stints at Outlook India, India.com, Sportskeeda, Women’s CricZone, and OrissaPOST. A 2017 Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, Kolkata, Koushik has reported on high-profile events including the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017, Ranji Trophy, FIH Pro League, FIH World League finals, the Indian Premier League, and Lionel Messi’s historic visit to Kolkata in 2025. <br><br> While he possesses a versatile command over all sports, he finds his niche in cricket, specializing in breaking news, long-form interviews, global sporting updates, and high-energy live blogs. Koushik’s professional perspective was further sharpened through the 2020 AIPS Young Reporters Programme, where he gained invaluable insights from renowned international journalists, including Keir Radnedge and Riccardo Romani from the United Kingdom, and Martin Mazur from Argentina. Currently based between Kolkata and Delhi, Koushik remains at the forefront of the breaking developments that shape the public sporting discourse. When he isn't tracking scores or deconstructing plays, he can be found exploring new landscapes on his travels or channeling his creative energy into the kitchen. <br><br> If you have a compelling story to share or know an individual who deserves the spotlight, please reach out via email at <a href="koushik.paul@htdigital.in">koushik.paul@htdigital.in</a>.
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