Is Hardik Pandya actually ‘not well’ for DC vs MI clash? Report says Mumbai Indians star is doing overtime beyond IPL

Mumbai Indians were forced to leave out captain Hardik Pandya against Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday. The decision was confirmed when Suryakumar Yadav walked out for the coin toss as a stand-in-spinner.

Asked about Pandya's unavailability, Suryakumar revealed Pandya is "unwell" and won't be playing against Delhi Capitals. “He's not well, doesn't look good, so he was not fit for today's game. So just getting into his shoes today,” replied Suryakumar, who led India to a T20 World Cup triumph just before the 19th season of the tournament started.

However, a report in TOI says different about Pandya. According to the report, Pandya is doing overtime beyond his IPL duties for the oast four months to be ready to bowl a full quota of 10 overs, to return to the ODI side, with an eye to the 2027 ODI World Cup. The report further added that Pandya was absent from Mumbai Indians' two training sessions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in order to give his body some rest.

Why is Hardik Pandya not a part of India's ODI setup?

The last time Pandya played an ODI for India was in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. With the T20 World Cup 2026 in mind, the Men in Blue didn't play much ODIs as compared to T20Is in 2025. It must be noted that Pandya injured his quadriceps just before the 2025 Asia Cup final in September and returned against South Africa in December.

It is believed that Pandya told the BCCI selectors of his desire to play for India in both the white-ball formats. In fact, in January, BCCI secretary Devaijit Saikia informed that Pandya was still not cleared by the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) to bowl a quota of 10 overs in a match. Surprisingly, Pandya bowled 10 overs for his 3/66 for Baroda against Chandigarh in Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Is Hardik Pandya actually “unwell”?

Going by the reports, it seems like Pandya is managing his workload as the 32-year-old doesn't want to put his injury-prone body on the line during the two-month gruelling IPL schedule. An experienced customer for India in white-ball formats, Pandya is expected to play a huge role for India on the fast and bouncy pitches of Africa in the 2027 ODI World Cup.

With Nitish Kumar Reddy also increasing his bowling workload in domestic matches, Pandya would leave no stone unturned to stake a claim for a spot in the final 15. “He has to convince the selectors and the team management that he will be available to bowl 10 overs,” a BCCI source told the newspaper.

"He may not be required to do so in every match. The captain may end up bowling him for 6-7 overs in most matches. But he should be available if the captain needs more from him,” the source added.

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