Mumbai Indians squad - (Source: AFP)In a significant development, Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 campaign has suffered another setback, as their star player and stand-in captain, Suryakumar Yadav, will also miss MI’s upcoming match against Punjab Kings. Notably, it is the second blow to the five-time winners as Hardik Pandya has also not travelled to Dharamshala.For the unversed, Mumbai Indians will lock horns against Punjab Kings on May 15 at the Dharamshala Stadium. There were reports that Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav will join the team later on, but nothing of that sort happened, and both senior MI stars are at present in Mumbai.Suryakumar Yadav to Miss PBKS Clash, MI To lock new captainNow with Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav both out of MI’s upcoming clash against PBKS, a report from Cricbuzz mentioned that Tilak Varma and Jasprit Bumrah are the frontrunners to lead the five-time winners against the Shreyas Iyer-led side.Also Read: Depleted Mumbai Indians Seek Revenge, Aim To Shatter Punjab Kings' Playoff HopesNotably, neither Jasprit Bumrah nor Tilak Varma has any past experience of leading Mumbai Indians in IPL. Therefore, whosoever replaces Suryakumar Yadav, will join an elite list of players featuring Rohit Sharma to lead the five-time winners.There are multiple reports on social media hinting that Jasprit Bumrah will lead the side. However, a few also backed Tilak Varma. Hence, there is no clear indication on who will captain Mumbai Indians against Punjab Kings.Why Will Suryakumar Yadav Miss MI's Match vs Punjab Kings?For the unversed, Suryakumar Yadav recently welcomed fatherhood. Hence, he also joined the Mumbai Indians' squad late in Raipur for their match against RCB. However, this time around the scenario is different.SKY's golden duck against RCB resulted in Mumbai Indians getting crashed out of the tournament. Hence, now there is no urgency for SKY to reach Dharamshala and play for the franchise against Punjab Kings on May 14.Therefore, Suryakumar Yadav is utilising his time to be with his wife and newly-born daughter in Mumbai. It is likely that SKY rejoins the team ahead of their upcoming match against KKR on May 20 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya's IPL 2026 Season So FarMumbai Indians might not miss Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya much because the duo have had an underwhelming season so far. Shedding light on MI skipper, Hardik Pandya, the right-handed batter has played 8 matches.In the 8 matches, Pandya scored just 146 runs in 8 innings, averaging 20.86. He has a strike-rate of just 136.45. Also, with the ball, the 32-year-old has picked up 4 wickets in 8 innings. For Suryakumar Yadav, the right-handed batter has scored just 195 runs 11 innings, averaging 17.73. The star batter has already scored two ducks in IPL 2026 and overall, four single-digit scores.Also Read: Not Hardik Pandya! Three Captains Set To Be Fired After IPL 2026
.jpg?type=mq "Virender Sehwag Calls Jasprit Bumrah ‘Chumrah’, Fans Bash Indian Opener")
