IPL 2026: Hardik Pandya injury scare raises concerns ahead of DC vs MI clash

Injury scare for the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of their IPL 2026 clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. MI skipper Hardik Pandya has raised concerns before the match as he reportedly missed multiple training sessions for the match. 

After confirming a stunning win against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, MI took flight to Delhi to face the Capitals. MI fans are hoping to see another mind-blowing performance under the leadership of Hardik Pandya. But will Pandya be available for the match?

What is the latest update on Hardik Pandya’s fitness?

According to recent reports, the pace bowling all-rounder was not present during the training sessions. Mumbai Indians arranged a couple of practice sessions in Delhi, and Hardik missed both. After which, fans on social media platforms have expressed their concerns over the MI leader's health and fitness.

Though there is no official statement or any rumours related to his fitness. Amid the injury scare, some also claimed that the star all-rounder is fit and fine to feature against DC. But why Pandya missed those training sessions is yet to be cleared. 

How the Mumbai Indians could adjust if Pandya misses out

In the previous match of the ongoing IPL 2026, the Mumbai Indians got a thumping win against the KKR. While the team went to chase a target over 200, Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton shifted their gears immediately to run over the KKR bowling unit.

Batting first, KKR registered 220 runs for 4 wickets, which was a good score against a strong team like Mumbai. Rohit Sharma's 78 and Ryan Rickelton's 81 quickly took MI close to the target in a convincing way. The home team won the match by 6 wickets with 5 more balls to spare.

Hardik Pandya played a crucial role with the bat to secure the win. The middle-order batter played an unbeaten 18-run innings in 11 balls to confirm the win. With the ball, he was expensive despite taking the wicket of Angkrish Raghuvanshi. In his 3-over spell, the MI captain leaked 39 runs. 

In case the all-rounder is unavailable to face the Delhi Capitals today, then it will be a huge blow for the team, as he is not only their captain, but he is the pivot between the team's batting and bowling departments. 

Ahead of their encounter with the Delhi Capitals, MI has the advantage on paper. In their last 5 matches, Mumbai claimed 4 wins over Delhi, while Delhi got only one victory against them. In 2025, these two teams faced each other twice. In both occasions, the Hardik Pandya-led team emerged as the winners.

Fans react to major injury concern before DC vs MI showdown

"His performance today will tell a lot about his fitness and readiness," a cricket fan in 'X' wrote. "No practice, no arrival with the team… and still walks straight into the match? Hardik Pandya is about to either shock everyone or raise serious questions," another fan commented ahead of the DC vs MI match.