MI’s Big Surprise: Suryakumar Yadav Missing from Playing XI for Season Opener

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium.

The decision comes on a pitch that appears slightly greener than usual, prompting MI to adopt a six-bowler strategy.

Notably, Suryakumar Yadav is not part of Mumbai Indians’ starting XI and is expected to feature later as an Impact Player.

Shardul Thakur marked his return to the franchise, while spinner Allah Ghazanfar and batting all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford will make their MI debuts.

Ghazanfar was acquired for Rs 4.80 crore during the IPL 2025 auction, and Rutherford was traded from Gujarat Titans for Rs 2.6 crore ahead of IPL 2026.

“This is our fortress, the crowd is behind us and we're looking to play a good game. We started a couple of weeks earlier, have plenty of experience and a mix of youth. Rohit, Surya, Mitchell Santner - so there's no shortage of captains; I'm just excited to go out there and perform. We're going with 6 bowlers and 5 batters,” said MI captain Hardik Pandya after winning the toss.

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane, leading a side missing a couple of key players due to injuries, said, "We were also looking to bowl, never seen this amount of grass at Wankhede.”

“Preparations have been good, couple of camps in Kolkata and in Mumbai as well. I know that MI is a champion team and we're looking forward to be playing against them. A couple of injuries - we're going with 6 batters and 5 bowlers,” Rahane added.

“Four overseas players - Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Sunil Narine and Blessing Muzarabani,” Rahane said.

Mumbai Indians have historically struggled in season openers, with their last victory in the first match of an IPL campaign dating back to 2012.

Tonight, they will aim to break that trend with a blend of experienced campaigners and fresh faces.

Mumbai Indians Starting XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, AM Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

Kolkata Knight Riders Starting XI: Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani

(With inputs from ANI)