When will Hardik Pandya return to MI? Hardik Pandya has been absent from the Mumbai Indians for the past three matches. Shardul Thakur has provided a significant update on his return.

When will Hardik Pandya return?

When will Hardik Pandya be able to return? Will he miss the remaining matches of IPL 2026? Mumbai Indians fans are currently awaiting answers to this question. Hardik has been out of action for the last three matches, and in his absence, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have captained the MI team.

Now, Mumbai Indians player Shardul Thakur has provided an update, stating that Hardik may return for the next match. Mumbai will play their next match against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 20th at Eden Gardens. It's worth noting that MI are already out of playoff contention.

Hardik Pandya will return.

In the post-match press conference on Thursday, Shardul Thakur said, "Hardik is injured and hence could not participate in the last three matches. He was present in Raipur for the match against RCB but could not play. He is currently practicing in Mumbai, and I hope that he will join the team in Kolkata on May 20 and play."

The Mumbai Indians have played 12 matches so far this season, winning only four. They have been eliminated from the playoff race. Hardik Pandya's captaincy has been blamed as the main reason for Mumbai's poor performance, and he has been heavily trolled for it. Looking at his personal statistics, Hardik scored only 146 runs and took 4 wickets in IPL 2026.

MI proved too strong for Punjab.

Last Thursday, the Mumbai Indians and the Punjab Kings clashed. Batting first, Punjab posted a score of 200 runs. Mumbai faltered in the middle, but Tilak Varma's explosive innings of 75 runs off 33 balls secured Mumbai's victory. This victory has helped Mumbai spoil Punjab Kings' chances, as Punjab has suffered five consecutive defeats.