In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav is expected to continue leading the side at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium.
Hardik had earlier missed Mumbai Indians’ previous match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium on May 4 due to a back spasm. Suryakumar stepped in as captain in that game and guided MI to a dominant six-wicket victory while chasing a challenging 229-run target.
According to reports, there is still no official clarity on Hardik’s availability for the RCB clash, though he has a couple of days to recover. The franchise management is reportedly uncertain about the severity of his condition, although there is a possibility he may still join the squad in Raipur.
MI batter Ryan Rickelton also commented after the LSG match, saying he was informed only on match day about Hardik’s back spasms and remained hopeful that the skipper would rejoin the squad during the ongoing travel phase.
