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The Mumbai Indians (MI) were forced to make a late leadership change ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, April 4. Regular captain Hardik Pandya missed the match due to illness, with star batter Suryakumar Yadav stepping in to lead the side.
Why is Hardik Pandya Not Playing Today's Match Against DC?
Hardik Pandya did not feature in the clash between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals after falling ill before the match. The MI management decided to rest the star all-rounder to ensure he recovers fully and returns fresh for the upcoming games in the Indian Premier League 2026 season.
At the toss, stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed the update, stating that Pandya was unwell and the team preferred to give him a break rather than risk his fitness.
Suryakumar Yadav Leads MI in Hardik Pandya’s Absence
With Hardik Pandya unavailable, Suryakumar Yadav walked out for the toss alongside Axar Patel, the captain of the Delhi Capitals.
The stand-in skipper also mentioned that the conditions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium were different compared to the surface at the Wankhede Stadium, where MI played their previous match. However, MI were comfortable batting first in the afternoon encounter.
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Mumbai Indians Make Three Changes to the Playing 11
The absence of Hardik Pandya resulted in a few changes to the Mumbai Indians lineup that recently secured a memorable win against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Along with Pandya, Trent Boult and Allah Ghazanfar were also left out of the playing . MI brought in Deepak Chahar, Corbin Bosch, and Mitchell Santner as replacements.
Mumbai Indians (MI) Playing 11:
1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3. Tilak Varma, 4. Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5. Naman Dhir, 6. Sherfane Rutherford, 7. Mitchell Santner, 8. Corbin Bosch, 9. Shardul Thakur, 10. Deepak Chahar, 11. Jasprit Bumrah.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Previous Captaincy Experience for MI
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This is not the first time Suryakumar Yadav has captained the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He previously led the team in the opening match of IPL 2025 when Hardik Pandya was serving a one-match suspension.
During that game, MI faced the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Suryakumar’s first stint as MI captain came earlier in IPL 2023 when he led the side against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma.
Also Read: DC vs MI IPL 2026 My11circle, Vision11, Howzat Team, and Dream11 Prediction
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