Good news for MI fans! Mumbai Indians’ X factor ready for IPL 2026 clash vs Rajasthan Royals, his name is…

Good news for Mumbai Indians fans! Skipper Hardik Pandya is fully fit and will be available for Mumbai Indians’ upcoming IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals at the ACA Stadium on Tuesday.

Pandya had missed MI’s previous game against Delhi Capitals in Delhi due to illness. The team suffered a six-wicket defeat in that match. However, he returned to the nets in Guwahati on Sunday night and looked in fine rhythm, both with bat and ball.

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Confirming the news, MI bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said in the pre-match press conference:

“He will be available. He had a good couple of hours of net sessions yesterday, so he is fit and fine. He wasn’t injured, he was unwell, that’s the reason he missed the game.”

Combination change without Hardik

With Hardik missing the last match, Mumbai Indians had to change their playing XI. South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch replaced Trent Boult, while Deepak Chahar also came into the side.

Explaining the changes, Mhambrey added:

“Well, I think that is something that you will have to take care of. Injuries are something that you can’t control. But I think we got the team, we got enough guys out there to mix and match, and looking at the surface combinations, but I think we got enough guys to kind of look around.

“I think it was just a combination change. Obviously, Hardik gives you the option of a bat and a bowler – the all-rounder. Since he wasn’t available, we needed a kind of replacement who could fill in that role for us. It is purely a tactical decision that we went with.”

Key Battle: Bumrah vs RR Young Guns

This will be Mumbai Indians’ first-ever IPL match in Guwahati. One of the most exciting battles fans are looking forward to is how Rajasthan Royals’ young batters – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Dhruv Jurel – handle ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

Talking about Bumrah’s special skills, Paras Mhambrey said:

“I think the ability to disguise – purely. The batters are finding it difficult to read it. I think Bumrah has the ability to disguise it, amongst the other things that he presents. So it’s not kind of – you can’t go in a game and say Bumrah is going to do this.

“Classic example was the England game. The first ball he bowled – no one could have expected a slower one. So I think the ability to anticipate what the batters are thinking and to be able to present a kind of an option that, as a batter, you are not expecting. I think that’s his USP – I would say that.“