Tendulkar’s fitness to be assessed on May 4

The champion batsman, who turned 35 on April 24, aggravated a groin injury that he sustained during the tri-series Down Under when turning out for India against South Africa in the first Test at Chennai in March and has not played for more than a month.

In his absence from the playing XI, the Reliance Industries-owned franchise team lost their first four ties before earning a maiden victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on April 29 at the Eden Gardens, and are languishing at the bottom of the eight-team league table.

Mumbai Indians were led by Harbhajan Singh in their first three matches, which were all lost.

The team was led by ace ex-South African all rounder Shaun Pollock in their last two matches following the booting out of Harbhajan from the IPL after he was found guilty of slapping India teammate S Sreesanth.

The Mumbai outfit have lost to Royal Challengers, at home, Chennai Super Kings and King’s XI, away, and Deccan Chargers, at home, before putting it across Sourav Ganguly’s Kolkata team, away, for their first points in the Twenty20 league.