IPL 2026: Why is Suryakumar Yadav not playing for MI vs PBKS today?

Mumbai Indians suffer another major setback ahead of their IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, with stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav unavailable for Thursday’s fixture due to personal reasons. The development is confirmed at the toss by Jasprit Bumrah, who steps in to lead the five-time champions for the first time in franchise history.

 

Speaking after the toss at the HPCA Stadium, Bumrah reveals that Suryakumar has decided not to travel with the squad and had informed the management before the game. With regular skipper Hardik Pandya still recovering from a back injury, MI are now without both their captain and vice-captain for the important encounter.  Stand in skipper Bumrah after the toss: We will bowl first. (Reason for bowling first?) We saw the last game a little bit and we feel that, (with) the cold weather coming around, maybe the wicket will settle down a little bit and the ball will come better on the second innings. (How does it feel to captain MI for the first time?) Yeah, it feels good. I came here as a 19-year-old. I didn't think that I'll be a Test captain before I'll captain Mumbai Indians. But this is a fun place to be. You look after everyone and you want to contribute in whatever way possible. So, I like responsibility. This is a new challenge. I'll look to have fun. (What do MI want to get out these games?) Actually, I don't want to park it (leaving the tough season behind) because when cricket gives you good days, you take it. When it gives you challenges, it's come to teach you something. So, I take it in my stride, try to learn from it and accept it fully because this is the beauty of cricket. (What do you want to take out of these games?) As much as we can, you know, positives that we can and we play good cricket. We've got three games left. We want to enjoy. We want to enjoy each other's company and create an impact and maybe, you know, ruffle a few teams. (Changes to your side?) We've got two changes. Surya (SKY) is not here due to personal reasons and Allah (Ghazanfar) is out as well. 

IPL 2026: PBKS vs MI Playing 11

 

 

Mumbai Indians Playing 11: Ryan Rickelton(w), Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah(c), Raghu Sharma 

Punjab Kings Playing 11: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

 

 

Bumrah’s appointment makes him Mumbai Indians’ 10th captain in IPL history. Despite MI already being out of playoff contention, the franchise opts against resting the ace pacer because of the sudden leadership vacuum in the squad.

 

The absence of Suryakumar adds to Mumbai’s concerns, especially considering the batter is struggling for form this season and would ideally want game time before the campaign ends. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma also remains unavailable after failing to receive clearance from the MI medical staff. The former captain continues to stay with the squad but is only batting during training sessions while observing proceedings from the sidelines.

 

With multiple senior players missing, Mumbai Indians head into the contest relying heavily on Bumrah’s leadership and experience against a Punjab Kings side still fighting for a playoff spot.