Ryan Rickelton Comments on Hardik Pandya's Back Spasms After MI's Win

Rickelton Discusses Pandya's Condition Post-Match

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] - Following the Mumbai Indians' (MI) triumph over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Wankhede Stadium on Monday night, opener Ryan Rickelton addressed the situation regarding Hardik Pandya's back spasms.

During the post-match media briefing, Rickelton revealed that he had just learned about Pandya's back issue and was uncertain about its severity.

“I’m not sure when he’ll return. I discovered this afternoon that he was experiencing back spasms, so I don’t know how serious it is. I wouldn’t label it as an injury; I’m not aware of how severe his discomfort is. However, I’m confident he’ll rejoin the team as we travel to Raipur this week,” Rickelton stated.

In Pandya's absence, Suryakumar Yadav took over the captaincy during the high-scoring match against LSG.

While the specifics of Pandya's condition are still unclear, Rickelton expressed optimism that the talented all-rounder would be back with the squad for the upcoming matches.

In the match itself, MI chose to bowl first, with notable performances from Nicholas Pooran (63 runs off 21 balls, including four fours and eight sixes), Mitchell Marsh (44 runs off 25 balls, with six fours and three sixes), and Himmat Singh (40* off 31 balls, featuring two fours and two sixes), leading LSG to a total of 228/5.

However, a remarkable partnership of 143 runs between Rickelton (83 runs off 32 balls, with six fours and eight sixes) and Rohit Sharma (84 runs off 44 balls, including six fours and seven sixes) enabled MI to chase down the target in just 18.4 overs.

Currently, MI sits in ninth place with three victories and seven defeats, while LSG is at the bottom with two wins and seven losses.