Hardik Pandya not playing in MI vs LSG [Source: X and Screengrabs]The Mumbai Indians vs Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2026 match only needed a tinge of spiciness, and Hardik Pandya presented it. In the May 4 clash, Pandya, the captain of MI, was not present, and Suryakumar Yadav stepped up to fill his place. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma also made it to the Playing XI, who has been unwell for quite some time. Sharma made it to the MI vs LSG clash as SKY is wearing the captain’s hat. Hardik Pandya’s absence was mysterious; however, during the toss, all confusion was cleared by the stand-in captain. Why Is Hardik Pandya Not Playing In The MI vs LSG Clash? During the toss of the Mumbai Indians vs Lucknow Super Giants match, an unexpected routine took place. Instead of regular skipper Pandya, who has been leading the team in IPL 2026, Suryakumar Yadav stepped out for the toss. After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Suryakumar Yadav shared that Hardik is injured and has a back spasm and will sit out of the match."Hardik is unwell, so just getting into his shoes," Yadav shared during the toss.More importantly, SKY announced that Trent Boult will also be benched for the match, and Corbin Bosch will come in place of the New Zealand veteran, while Rohit Sharma, who missed a couple of matches due to an injury, is also back in the playing eleven. Also Read- Not Virat Kohli, ‘This’ Player Named The New King Of IPLFans Troll Hardik’s Benching While this might sound like a regular sickness replacement, Pandya's benching sparked a storm on the internet. Fans started speculating that there has been some sort of crackdown inside the team, which led to the dropping of an underperforming Hardik. Let’s take a look at how the internet reacted to Hardik’s benching in MI vs LSG:Swapnil @mycatoons Is Hardik Pandya dropped ? May 4, 2026, 7:14 PM Dr Khushboo 🇮🇳 @khushbookadri Hardik Pandya Is Unwell 🤒 May 4, 2026, 7:27 PM ChaiPeCricket @ChaiPeCric @rohitjuglan Most probably end of Hardik Pandya MI journey today Full Toss @turkey_sandwick @mufaddal_vohra TMC, DMK, and now Captain Hardik Pandya sacked. Nah man, May 4 has become the most historic day. No more mediocrity 😭❤️ May 4, 2026, 7:24 PM Cricket Wisdom @Cricketadd75277 End of hardik pandya?? Sum @ohsumitanyways Bjp won in Bengal Hardik pandya is sacked in Mumbai We keep winning May 4, 2026, 7:23 PM ChaiPeCricket @ChaiPeCric So the rumour is true Is the mid season captaincy change silently done ?? Hardik Pandya out May 4, 2026, 7:12 PM Vipin Tiwari @Vipintiwari952 There’s no proper reason given for why Hardik Pandya isn’t playing. Either he himself chose to sit out (but why though?), or the management straight-up dropped him. Feels like both sides are possible. At the same time, it looks like the franchise is already planning the next May 4, 2026, 7:25 PM maaya_cd @Maya_cd_25 @mufaddal_vohra Good decision for MI to drop Hardik pandya and Rohit back. The Horrible Performance Of Hardik Pandya in IPL 2026Notably, under Pandya's leadership, Mumbai have lost seven matches out of the nine games they have played, with their only victories coming against Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders. In terms of individual performance as well, Pandya hasn't been impressive at all. He batted in eight matches and managed to gather 146 runs at an average of 20.86. His figures are underwhelming, as his strike rate is at 136.45. With the ball, Pandya has been even more disappointing, scalping only four wickets from his eight matches while having an expensive economy rate of 11.90 and a strike rate of 31.00. Hardik, The Worst MI Captain?Under skipper Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians have one of the worst track records. Out of the 37 matches where Pandya led the team, MI could only manage to win 15 of them while losing the remaining 22 matches, having a win-to-loss ratio of 0.681. Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy stint for MI hasn't been impressive either. From the four matches Yadav has led the team, only one has been won, at an even lower win-to-loss ratio of 0.5. The most successful captain has been Sachin Tendulkar, who boasts a win-to-loss ratio of 1.391, having won 32 games out of the 55 times he led the Mumbai Paltan. Also Read- Revealed: Why Is Hardik Pandya Not Playing In MI vs LSG IPL 2026 Match?Hardik Under Fire For Poor Captaincy Stint? Whether it is a crackdown or not, Hardik Pandya's leadership will be under question. The last three losses of MI were shambolic, where in the April 23 match at their home ground, they were bundled for just 104 runs while chasing a mammoth target of 208. The poor record worsened when CSK again defeated Mumbai at Chepauk by chasing a target of 160, further exposing the batting as well as bowling unit of the blue brigade. With Pandya now out of the setup, this could be a refreshed entry for MI into a campaign which is almost beyond salvation, as the playoff race is nearly out of reach for the team. Nevertheless, this will be a last do-or-die attempt from Suryakumar Yadav and co. to save face at their home ground in Wankhede.Follow MI vs LSG Live Updates for latest IPL 2026 scorecard
.jpg?type=mq "Not Virat Kohli, ‘This’ Player Named The New King Of IPL")
