![Mumbai includes three debutants vs KKR [Source: Screengrab from HotStar]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1774791270958_MumbaiincludesthreedebutantsvsKKR.jpg?type=hq)
Mumbai includes three debutants vs KKR [Source: Screengrab from HotStar]
The stage is set for match 2 of the IPL 2026 as the Mumbai Indians will take on KKR at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Mumbai Indians have not won their opening IPL game since the 2013 edition, and the former winners will aim to break that jinx as the team takes on a formidable Knight Riders.
Mumbai has one of the strongest IPL 2026 teams on paper, as almost every position is sorted for the former IPL winners. Last season, the Hardik Pandya-led side reached the Qualifier 2 stage, but were defeated by the Punjab Kings. With a better squad than last time around, Mumbai Indians will be gunning for their sixth title.
On the other hand, KKR witnessed a slump last season as they removed key players from the squad and couldn’t reach the playoffs. In the mini auction, the Kolkata Knight Riders invested in a plethora of players, including Cameron Green, who was bought for 25.2 crores.
With the teams ready, here is what transpired at the toss between Mumbai Indians and KKR.
MI vs KKR toss update
Mumbai Indians won the toss and as expected, Hardik Pandya elected to bowl first. The pitch will get better as the game progresses and Mumbai will look to take advantage of it.
The team has included three debutants in the side, with Sherfane Rutherford, Allah Ghazanfar, and Shardul Thakur getting their debut caps for the franchise.
On the other hand, KKR have given a chance to Finn Allen, and as a result, Tim Seifert, his national teammate sits out. There was a choice between Seifert and Allen, and looking at his red-hot form, the KKR management picked him to open.
Also Read: Mumbai Indians Create World Record In IPL
MI Vs KKR playing XIs
Mumbai Indians Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Trent Boult
Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI: Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani
Mumbai impact players list: Suryakumar Yadav, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Angad Bawa, Ashwani Kumar
KKR impact players list: Manish Pandey, Kartik Tyagi, Rovman Powell, Saurabh Dubey, Tejasvi Dahiya
MI Vs KKR: What the captains had to say
Hardik Pandya: "(On what will he do?) We would like to bowl first. Looks like a good track. We will see. Looks a little more greener than it used to. We will see how it plays.
Got such a wonderful crowd. This is our fortress. This is our home crowd. We started a little bit earlier.
At the same point of time, we have a lot of experienced players. Absolutely. I have got Rohit Sharma, Surya, and also I got Mitchell Santner.
Ajinkya Rahane: "We were looking to bowl as well. I have never seen this much amount of grass here in Wankhede. The practice wickets also looked slightly different. So, we were looking to bowl.
Preparations have been fantastic. We had a really good 10-day practice sessions in Kolkata. We spent couple of days here in Mumbai as well. Boys are doing really good. All the domestic players had a very good domestic season. Good to start in Mumbai. We know that MI are a champion team. We want to focus on our gameplan and then we will go from there.
Also Read: After MS Dhoni, Another CSK Player Gets Ruled Out In IPL 2026
