.jpg?type=hq)
Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli in picture. Credits: afp.com
The buzz around the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) is already at its peak, with the tournament set to start this Saturday, March 28. All teams are making their one last amends before the start of the big season.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be the reigning champions for the first time, while the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians (MI), have not won a silverware since 2020. In the recent times, both teams have been a part of some tense games.
However, the Mumbai Indians enjoy a healthy head-to-head lead over the RCB, leading 19-15 in 34 games played between the two.
RCB trolled for putting three stars
Ahead of the IPL 2026, RCB decided to imprint three stars on the team logo on their jerseys, after the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium received clearance to host five of the franchise's games following the unfortunate stampede incident last season.
The motive behind imprinting three stars was to honour their maiden IPL win and the two titles won in the WPL. However, the franchise had to face a lot of trolling and scrutiny on social media,
Also Read: Mumbai Indians Stars Who Can Take Retirement From IPL After 2026
Hardik Pandya trolls RCB for three stars
On Sunday, MI's captain Hardik Pandya decided to troll the defending champions for their three-star act during an event that also featured MI batting coach Kieron Pollard.
“The honest answer is that at MI, we want to win as many titles as possible. We are very fortunate to have won five (titles) already. Aur aage dalne ke liye aage jagah ki bechegi fir future mein kya dalange? (We are already short on space. Where will we put the next stars in the future?” Hardik Pandya said in an event while trolling RCB.
Watch: Hardik Pandya trolls RCB ahead of IPL 2025
However, when RCB revealed their jersey for the upcoming IPL season, they had just put one star over their logo on the shirt. Since then, RCB have been very careful and only posts on social media handles with "one star".
Schedule for RCB, MI in IPL 2026
Defending champions RCB won their maiden trophy last season by beating the Punjab Kings in the final at Ahmedabad. In that near-perfect season, the Bengaluru-based franchise was the best touring team, losing zilch away games in IPL 2025. Whereas, the star-studded MI lineup lost the Qualifier 2 to PBKS, after finishing third on the points table.
The Rajat Patidar-led unit will be playing the curtain-raiser in the IPL 2026, as they will be at loggerheads against SunRisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this Saturday. Meanwhile, MI will play their first game of the season at Wankhede versus Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, March 29.
As the BCCI has just revealed the first phase of the schedule, the first of the fixtures between RCB and MI is scheduled for April 12 in Mumbai.
Also Read: CSK Issues Official Statement For SRH, KKR, Gujarat Titans After Fans Attack Teams
