Suryakumar Yadav and his wife, Devisha Shetty, welcomed their first child, a baby girl, on Thursday, 7 May 2026. Due to this personal milestone, his participation in the upcoming high-stakes clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has been a subject of significant updates. The cricketer missed the initial team flight to stay in Mumbai for the birth, Yadav has now confirmed he is flying to join the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad in Raipur. He is expected to be available for selection for the match at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Sunday, 10 May 2026.
His return is particularly critical for MI due to ongoing fitness concerns within the leadership group. Regular captain Hardik Pandya has been struggling with back spasms and was unlikely to travel to Raipur initially. If Hardik remains unfit for the RCB game, Suryakumar Yadav, who successfully led the team to a 6-wicket win against LSG in the previous match will likely captain the side again. According to reports via Crictracker, he will reach Raipur shortly. He is highly likely to feature in the playing XI at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.
BREAKING: Suryakumar Yadav is available for RCB game tomorrow. The new dad, and India T20I skipper, confirmed availability to the team; is expected to reach Raipur soon. Whether he will lead MI will depend on medical team's assessment of Hardik Pandya. More on @Cricbuzz
— Vijay Tagore (@vijaymirror) May 9, 2026
Hardik Pandya’s fitness remains uncertain for clash against RCB
While Hardik Pandya's fitness remains a subject of "suspense" for the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday, 10 May 2026, there have been significant recent developments regarding his availability. Despite initially staying behind in Mumbai due to back spasms, Pandya has officially joined the Mumbai Indians (MI) camp in Raipur as of early May. While he has checked into the squad, his final inclusion in the playing XI is contingent on a final fitness assessment. Reports currently indicate he is likely to lead the side if he passes the pre-match medical check.
Pandya missed the previous clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after being sidelined by back spasms, which forced Suryakumar Yadav to step in as stand-in captain. Some reports suggest Rohit Sharma could be a "likely captain" for this specific encounter should both Pandya and Yadav be unavailable or if the team opts for his veteran experience.
