Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Back on home turf after a slow start to the season, Mumbai Indians will look to capitalise on familiar conditions against the defending champions.
MI had begun their campaign with a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders but failed to build on the momentum, losing both their away fixtures by big margins. They currently sit eighth on the points table with a net run rate of -0.715.
RCB, meanwhile, opened their season with two wins before suffering a defeat and will aim to regain momentum.
“It’s a pitch that’s going to produce a lot of runs,” experts noted. The surface is hard with an even covering of grass, offering some assistance to fast bowlers. With dew expected to play a role in the second innings, chasing is likely to be the preferred option.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.