Hardik Pandya required 7 stitches above his eye to ensure availability vs RR; reason behind injury revealed

Hardik Pandya took the field with special protective glasses to cover the stitches above his eye during the match against RR.

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya put on a gutsy show at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium, steering his team to a massive 100-run win over Rajasthan Royals despite carrying an injury. The victory also sent MI to the top of the IPL 2025 points table in emphatic style. Prior to the high-stakes clash, Pandya suffered a significant setback during a training session.

Hardik Pandya during the match against RR (REUTERS)

While playing a sweep shot against a local spinner, he was struck in the eye by the ball, a blow severe enough to require seven stitches. Despite the evident discomfort, Pandya took part in the game against RR, wearing special protective glasses.

At the toss, the MI skipper appeared with a bandaged eye and wore protective glasses. But what followed was Hardik's impressive knock that stole the spotlight; coming in to bat at no.4, the MI skipper unleashed a flurry of shots, scoring a rapid 48 off just 23 deliveries. His knock included six boundaries and one six, helping MI pile on a commanding total.

The skipper’s efforts didn’t end with the bat. He chipped in with the ball too, bowling a tidy over and picking up the wicket of RR’s impact player, Shubham Dubey, for just 2 runs. His all-round performance aided in MI's stellar win against the Royals, knocking the home side out of the race for playoffs.

A dominant outing

In response, the Royals wilted under pressure and were bowled out for a mere 117 runs. MI’s bowlers backed up their batters with a clinical display, closing out a complete team effort.

With seven wins in 11 matches, MI have 14 points on the board and lead the Royal Challengers Bengaluru – also with seven wins – on a higher Net Run Rate.