Hardik Pandya will leave for Raipur on Thursday night to join his Mumbai Indians teammates. There is still no confirmation on whether he will play against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday, but sources in the MI camp say he is on the road to recovery from the back spasms that kept him out of the last game at the Wankhede against Lucknow Supergiants.
Pandya has his flight booked for later on Thursday and will travel with a few other members of the Mumbai Indians squad who are yet to leave for Raipur. The team is scheduled to have a full-fledged training session at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium ahead of the game.
"It is up to Nitin Patel and the medical team," said a Mumbai Indians source. Pandya will train in the nets on Friday (May 8), following which the medical team will take a call on his availability. There is certainly a sense of disappointment over the team's performance within the camp, but any decisions on possible changes will be taken only after the season. "There will be no decision on any changes in the middle of the season," a source said.
As for Suryakumar Yadav, who was blessed with a baby girl, nothing can be said at this stage. The MI management will leave the decision entirely to the player, who led the side in the absence of Pandya in the May 4 home game. His participation will depend on whether he feels mentally ready for the match.
There is also no decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah, something suggested by a few experts who feel the India spearhead could be given a break since Mumbai Indians have no realistic chance of qualifying for the playoffs. As of now, however, the thinking within the camp seems to be that of fielding the best possible XII for the remaining games.
