MI Bowl First vs RCB in IPL 2026 Clash After Hardik Pandya Wins Toss

The high-voltage clash between the five-time champions Mumbai Indians and the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru is being played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

After winning the toss, MI skipper Hardik Pandya confirmed that Mayank Markande and Mitchell Santner come in for Chahar and Ghazanfar in their playing XI.

"We're going to bowl first. Looks like a good track. We played the first game on the other pitch; this looks similar. It's always good to bat second here. I think it's a big game. Just want to come out and play our best cricket, do the things we've spoken about in the meetings, and just enjoy the sport. We requested good wickets, and we've been getting them," Pandya said.

As long as you land the ball right as a bowler and play the right shots as a batter, you're in the game. Over the years at Wankhede, chasing has worked for a lot of teams. Being our home ground, dew comes in later as well. So it's good to know what you're chasing; you can plan your innings accordingly. Mayank Markande and Mitchell Santner come in for Chahar and Ghazanfar," the MI skipper added.

After losing the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar said that Jacob Duffy has replaced Josh Hazlewood in the playing XI.

"Obviously would have bowled first. But as you all know, it's a good batting track. The ball comes nicely onto the bat with good bounce. So honestly, it won't make too much difference. We'll try to put a good total on the board and keep them under pressure. This is our fourth game," Rajat Patidar said.

"The way we've played the last few matches, there are a lot of positives. In the last match, we were 97 for 6 and still managed to score over 200. That's a positive sign for us. We enjoy it a lot here. Whenever we come, we see great crowds. It's challenging, but at the same time, fun and exciting. Just one change, Duffy comes in place of Hazlewood," RCB skipper added.

Both teams playing XIs:

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.

Mumbai Indians (Impact Subs): Sherfane Rutherford, Corbin Bosch, Ashwani Kumar, Raghu Sharma, Raj Bawa.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Impact Subs): Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Mangesh Yadav.

- ANI