IPL 2026: MI opt to bowl in must-win game for RR
Mumbai, May 24
Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bowl first in their last league match of the season, which is a must-win clash for their opponents, Rajasthan Royals, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
It is the only day game of the season at the Wankhede, which is being played in quite hot and humid conditions, making it a challenging affair for the players. MI rested seasoned pacer Jasprit Bumrah, bringing in Deepak Chahar into the playing XI. Rajasthan Royals made three changes with skipper Riyan Parag, Nandre Burger, and Ravindra Jadeja coming in.
MI captain Hardik Pandya said the conditions were the reason he opted to bowl first. "When we have played in the afternoon, it (the pitch) tends to get better in the afternoon," said Pandya at the toss.
"Looks like a good track. It's hard. Will mostly play like this. Once the sun goes down, it's slightly better. Just want to come out there and give our best shot. We have had a tough season," he added.
With the Rajasthan Royals needing to win this match to secure the fourth spot in the playoffs, captain Parag said they will give their best in the must-win match as they trail the Punjab Kings by one point.
"Would have done the same thing. Could be the last game of the season. We'll play like it. All the prep and energy that went into the tournament... Hopefully, we maximise our opportunity and get ahead in the playoffs. Rather have this than depend on someone else," he said.
Playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Atcher, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma
Impact substitutes: Ravindra Jadeja, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, AM Ghazanfar, Raghu Sharma
Impact substitutes: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, Trent Boult
— IANS
Reader Comments
Hardik Pandya's captaincy decisions have been questionable this season. But opting to bowl first in an afternoon game at Wankhede makes sense - we all know how the pitch behaves under the sun. RR in a must-win situation, but their batting looks fragile without Buttler and Samson. Jofra Archer back is huge though! 🤞
Finally some sense from MI management - resting Bumrah in a dead rubber. But why is Rohit Sharma still not starting? He's the most experienced player, and impact sub role doesn't do justice to his abilities. As an MI fan, this season has been painful to watch. At least give the young guns a proper chance! 😤
Look at the RR playing XI - Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel... what a young Indian core! 🇮🇳 And Riyan Parag is finally getting to lead in a clutch game. Hope he proves all the doubters wrong. The Wankhede crowd will be behind MI, but RR's fight for playoffs makes this a cracker of a contest! 🏆
I appreciate that Parag said he'd prefer to be in a must-win situation rather than depend on other results. That's the right mindset! But I have to point out - why is Ravindra Jadeja only an impact sub? He should be in the starting XI given his all-round abilities, especially on a slowish Wankhede track. Tactical error from RR management? 🤔
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.