As per the report, a big blow to the Mumbai Indians is that Hardik Pandya is unlikely to be fit in time for the IPL 2024
The all-rounder of the Indian cricket team and newly announced captain of the Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya, might have to wait a little longer before making a comeback to the cricket field. As it was earlier predicted, Hardik was supposed to be back for the limited-overs series against Afghanistan in January next year, but that might not be possible now. As per a report in PTI, he might be gone for the entire duration of IPL 2024 as well.
According to a BCCI source, “There is no update on Hardik’s fitness status as of now, and one can say there remains a big question mark about his availability before the end of the IPL.”
Hardik had suffered an ankle injury during the World Cup, and since then there have been a lot of questions raised over his fitness. His delayed return now only adds to the woes of Team India and the Mumbai Indians. Now, with his unavailability, as well as Suryakumar Yadav’s, due to an ankle injury as well, both T20I mainstays won’t be there in the last series prior to the T20 World Cup.
As for the Mumbai Indians, they face a tough situation, as they removed Rohit Sharma as the captain just a few days ago and replaced him with Hardik. It remains to be seen how the entire Hardik Pandya situation is handled now.