Mumbai Indians face Kolkata Knight Riders in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
MI, the five-time champions, aim for their sixth title this season. With a strong core, they are among the favorites. In contrast, KKR, having revamped their squad, seeks to improve on their eighth-place finish from 2025. Historically, home teams have struggled to win their opening games since 2012.
Toss Update
After winning the toss, Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya chose to field first, highlighting the support from the home crowd and the team’s experience. Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain Ajinkya Rahane mentioned the importance of focusing on the present against a tough opponent.
Mitchell Santner misses out, Ghazanfar to play
Mitchell Santner is currently unavailable, having just finished his duties as New Zealand’s captain. Coach Mahela Jayawardene hopes he will join the squad soon. Meanwhile, AM Ghazanfar, a highly-rated spinner from Afghanistan, makes his IPL debut, along with Sherfane Rutherford. For KKR, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, and Blessing Muzarabani also debut in the match.
What did the captains say?
Hardik Pandya (MI)
We are going to bowl. The pitch appears to be good and looks greener. This is our fortress, and we’re excited to perform in front of our crowd. We have a mix of experience and youth, and I’m looking forward to the game.
Ajinkya Rahane (KKR)
We planned to bowl as well. The pitch here has more grass than I’ve seen before. Our preparations went well, with camps in Kolkata and Mumbai. MI is a champion team, and we need to focus on the present. We have some injuries but are ready to compete.
Playing 11s
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, AM Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Players: Suryakumar Yadav, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar
Kolkata Knight Riders
Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani
Impact Players: Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Dubey, Rovman Powell