Mumbai, March 28 – The five-time champions, Mumbai Indians, will kick off their campaign in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) with a match against the three-time champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, aiming to add another title to their record.
Mumbai Indians, who jointly hold the record with Chennai Super Kings as the most successful team in IPL, won their fifth title in 2020 and have struggled to maintain their dominance since then. They underwent a period of rebuilding before regaining some ground and reaching the playoffs in 2025, finishing fourth after the first phase. However, they lost to Punjab Kings in the second qualifier, thus ending the season without a title.
For the 2026 season, the Reliance Industries-owned franchise has retained key players like captain Hardik Pandya, former captain Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. They have also strengthened their squad with the addition of New Zealand pacer Trent Boult and Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur. Quinton de Kock also returns after playing for them from 2019 to 2021, and the 33-year-old is likely to partner with Rohit Sharma as an opener.
The middle order will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, who had a record-breaking season in 2025, scoring 717 runs and winning the Player of the Tournament award, supported by Ryan Rickleton, Tilak Varma, and Sherfane Rutherford, along with captain Pandya. Surya has led India to a title in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup and will be hoping to replicate his success for his franchise.
While Boult's return strengthens the bowling attack, the unavailability of Bumrah for the first two weeks and the lack of support for spinner Mitchell Santner are potential concerns for Mumbai. Other players, including Allah Ghafanzar, may also impact their performance.
The Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, have undergone a complete overhaul after finishing eighth in the previous edition. The three-time champions have released 10 players, including key all-rounders like Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer.
They have selected the New Zealand trio of Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, and Rachin Ravindra, along with top-order star Sunil Narine, and have added Australian Cameron Green and Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana to the middle and late-order mix, which also includes Rinku Singh, now the vice-captain, Rovman Powell, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Varun Chakaravarthy and Narine remain their main spin bowlers, while Ravindra can also provide flexibility.
Their bowling attack, which had lost some balance after they had to release Mustafizur Rahman, has been bolstered by the addition of Zimbabwe's T20 World Cup star Blessing Muzarabani, although Harshit Rana's injury remains a concern.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane's inconsistent batting form is a major concern, and may prove to be another weakness for the team. They may also face difficulty in finding suitable leadership options if Rahane is unavailable.
The Mumbai Indians will be banking on home conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, where the pitch provides early assistance, and dew plays a role late in the night, giving them an advantage.
In the 35 matches played between these two sides, the Mumbai Indians have won 24, while KKR have won 11. In recent times, KKR has had the upper hand, winning four of their last six encounters. In the 2025 season, Mumbai emerged victorious with an eight-wicket win.
However, MI are known to be slow starters, which could give KKR a slight advantage in their opening match of the season.
Squads:
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ryan Rickleton, Robin Minz, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Naman Dhir, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Allah Ghafanzar, Ashwani Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, Raghu Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur, Quinton de Kock, Mohammad Izhar, Danish Malewar, Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Rawat.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Umran Malik, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen,
Matheesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi Dahiya, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Prashant Solanki, Daksh Kamra