'If Hardik Pandya comes in, obviously Deepak Chahar might be dropped' - Irfan Pathan predicts MI's playing XI vs RR

Published - 07 Apr 2026, 14:13 IST | Updated - 07 Apr 2026, 14:27 IST

Hardik Pandya missed the Mumbai Indians' last game against the Delhi Capitals due to sickness. However, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey confirmed that the star all-rounder will return for Mumbai's upcoming clash against the Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday, April 7, at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

While predicting Mumbai's playing XI for the impending clash, Irfan Pathan kept Pandya at No. 5 in the batting order. The former India all-rounder also added that Deepak Chahar might make way for Pandya, and Trent Boult could replace Corbin Bosch. At No. 11, Pathan kept the talismanic Jasprit Bumrah.

“Hardik Pandya was bowling in the nets in Guwahati, which means his return for Mumbai is almost certain. Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton. Tilak at number three and Suryakumar at number four, you can adjust that if you want. At number five is Hardik, number six is Sherfane Rutherford, number seven is Naman Dhir, number eight is Santner, number nine is Shardul Thakur. That’s an excellent batting lineup," Pathan said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

“At number ten, bring back Trent Boult. Because if Hardik comes in, obviously Deepak Chahar might be dropped. Corbin Bosch could also be out, and Trent Boult can return. Now, when you talk about the other two players, Bumrah is naturally at number eleven,” he added.

So far, Mayank Markande has conceded 36 runs in three overs across the first matches. While Pathan believes that the Mumbai Indians would back Markande for a few more games, he floated the idea of handing a debut to another leg-spinner, Raghu Sharma, if the discarded Indian bowler continues to struggle.

Aakash Chopra suggests potential changes in MI's XI vs RR

“At number twelve, how much backing do you want to give Mayank Markande, I’ll be watching that. Markande hasn’t had very good performances so far, but Raghu Sharma is a leg-spinner, an unknown commodity. How Mumbai decides to use him will be interesting to see. For now, they will hope that Mayank Markande performs well," Pathan said.

"If he doesn’t, then Raghu, based on the practice matches I’ve followed, bowls decent trajectories and can get the ball to turn. So it’s possible we might see him play later. But for now, Mumbai will probably go with Mayank Markande,” he added.