Hardik Pandya is not playing today due to an injury niggle he picked up during India's last match against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2025. He suffered a quadricep strain/hamstring cramp, which forced him to leave the field after bowling just one over, and he was ruled out of the Asia Cup final against Pakistan as he did not recover in time. India replaced him with Rinku Singh in the playing XI for the final match. This injury deprived India of Hardik's all-round abilities in a crucial game.