05 May,2026 12:23 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Hardik Pandya and Ryan Rickelton (Pic: ANI/AFP)
After the Mumbai Indians win against the Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium on Monday night, Ryan Rickelton, the opener for the Mumbai Indians (MI), addressed worries regarding Hardik Pandya's back spasm problem.
Rickelton admitted during the press conference following the game that he was unaware of the severity of Pandya's health and had only recently learned about it.
"I don't know when he's expected to be back. I found out this afternoon that he had back spasms, so I'm unaware of the extent of it. I don't want to call it an injury; I'm unaware of the extent of how bad it is or what he's feeling. But I'm sure he'll be with the group again as we head to Raipur this week," Rickelton said.
In place of Hardik, Suryakumar Yadav stepped in to lead the side during the high-scoring against the Super Giants. While the precise details of Pandya's condition remain unclear, Rickelton remained hopeful that the star all-rounder would rejoin the team soon for the upcoming fixtures.
MI chose to bowl first in the match, and LSG reached 228/5 thanks to hits from Nicholas Pooran (63 in 21 balls, with four and eight sixes), Mitchell Marsh (44 in 25 balls, with six fours and three sixes), and Himmat Singh (40' in 31 balls, with two fours and two sixes).
But Rickelton's (83 in 32 balls, with six fours and eight sixes) and Rohit's (84 in 44 balls, with six fours and seven sixes) 143-run partnership made it easy for MI to finish the chase in 18.4 overs. Will Jacks and Naman Dhir took the hosts home to give them a much-needed victory.
MI are at the ninth spot with three wins and seven losses, while LSG are at the bottom with two wins and seven losses. They need to win all four of their remaining fixtures to stand a chance of qualifying for the playoffs. However, the 5-time champions will face PBKS, RCB, and RR in the remaining games, who are all competing for the playoff spots.
(With ANI Input)
