Mumbai Indians will kick off their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, with both sides eager to begin their season on a strong note.
MI enter the new season with a clear objective of securing their sixth IPL title and ending a trophy drought that stretches back to 2020. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, who captains the side for the third consecutive year, the five-time champions will look to build on last season’s resurgence.
Mumbai staged an impressive comeback in IPL 2025, making it to the playoffs before bowing out in Qualifier 2 against Punjab Kings. With a settled core featuring Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Trent Boult, MI once again look like one of the most balanced sides on paper.
Meanwhile, KKR will aim for a turnaround after a disappointing 2025 season that saw them finish eighth, managing just five wins in 14 league matches despite entering the tournament as defending champions.
The side, led by Ajinkya Rahane, has reshaped its squad and will bank on key players such as Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Cameron Green, and Rinku Singh. Notably, this will be their first season in over a decade without Andre Russell.
MI vs KKR IPL 2026: Match Details
What time will the MI vs KKR IPL 2026 match start?
The match will begin at 7:30 PM IST.
What time will the toss take place?
The toss is scheduled at 7:00 PM IST.
Where is the MI vs KKR match being played?
At the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Where can you watch the match live?
On Star Sports Network (TV) and JioHotstar (live streaming).
MI vs KKR IPL 2026: Head-to-Head Record
Matches: 35
MI wins: 24
KKR wins: 11
At Wankhede: MI lead 10–2
Recent trend: KKR have won 5 of the last 7 meetings
MI vs KKR IPL 2026: Probable Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians (MI):
Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (C), Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
Impact Player: Mayank Markande
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
Finn Allen (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani, Kartik Tyagi
Impact Player: Umran Malik
MI vs KKR IPL 2026: Pitch Report
The Wankhede surface is expected to be a batter’s paradise, aided by short square boundaries (as small as 54m), making a high-scoring encounter likely. A similar trend was seen during a recent T20 World Cup semi-final at this venue, where nearly 500 runs were scored.
MI vs KKR IPL 2026: Squads
Mumbai Indians (MI):
Hardik Pandya (C), 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 (KKR):
Ajinkya Rahane (C), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Umran Malik, Varun Chakravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi Dahiya, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Prashant Solanki, Daksh Kamra.