Hardik Pandya Set to Return on April 7 vs Rajasthan Royals After Missing DC Clash

The Mumbai Indians suffered their first loss in the Indian Premier League 2026 after failing to defend their score against the Delhi Capitals. One key takeaway from the match is that Hardik Pandya is very important to the team and hard to replace. The Mumbai Indians (MI) had to sit out from the DC vs MI game as he wasn’t well.

MI missed Pandya dearly as the bowlers didn’t put up a great show, while the batting saw runs from just a couple of individuals. Pandya will not miss more games for the side, as he is touted to play Mumbai’s next game, which will be against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on April 7.

Hardik Pandya set to return on April 7 as Mumbai Indians face Rajasthan Royals

As per the The Times of India, Hardik Pandya missed the match against Delhi Capitals due to a viral illness, not injury. In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav captained Mumbai Indians and scored a stylish fifty. Hardik Pandya has been in the news recently. After winning the T20 World Cup 2026, he has already set his sights at the 2027 ODI World Cup. He has a long-term vision of being fit enough to bowl 10 overs consistently.

The selectors want Hardik Pandya to stay fully fit, so he has been carefully managing his workload. He missed the game against Delhi Capitals due to a simple viral illness, and Mumbai Indians chose not to take any risk with their captain. Pandya has now travelled with the team to Guwahati as well, where they will take on the unbeaten RR side. It will be a fascinating fixture, considering Rajasthan are playing well. Mumbai’s bowling will be tested against the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel.