Hardik Pandya missed Mumbai Indians' clash against Delhi Capitals on April 5 and Suryakumar Yadav led the side in his absence. MI captain Hardik Pandya missed the IPL 2026 match against DC At the toss Surya said Pandya was unwell and did not look good and the statement created some concern among MI fans about how serious the situation was. Pandya had missed both training sessions ahead of the Delhi game despite travelling with the squad to the capital. MI lost the game by six wickets with Sameer Rizvi's innings the difference between the two sides. Now with MI's next fixture coming up on Tuesday the question of whether Pandya will be available is the most pressing one around the five-time champions. What actually happened to Hardik Pandya and how serious it was As per a Times of India report the situation was not as alarming as Suryakumar's toss comments made it sound. Pandya has been dealing with a bout of viral fever and the decision to leave him out of the Delhi game was taken purely as a precaution given that the tournament is still in its early stages and the MI management did not want to take any risks with their captain at this point in the season. The franchise flew out of Delhi immediately after the game and Pandya travelled with the rest of the squad. The call to rest him was a conservative one rather than a response to something serious. Also READ: When will Shubman Gill play his next IPL game? Update on the GT captain's injury Who MI face next and what Hardik Pandya's return means MI's next game is against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Tuesday. RR are currently the form side of the tournament having won their first two games convincingly against CSK and Gujarat Titans and sitting at the top of the points table with a healthy net run rate under Riyan Parag's captaincy. MI will want their captain back for a fixture of this difficulty and based on current reports Pandya is on track to return. He will resume training before the game and the expectation within the franchise is that he will be available for selection. MI have won one and lost one so far in IPL 2026. A win against the table-toppers on Tuesday would be a significant early-season statement.