MI vs KKR: Suryakumar Yadav named impact player as Mumbai Indians opt to bowl first at Wankhede

Mumbai Indians have won the toss and decided to bowl first against Kolkata Knight Riders in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

🚨 Toss 🚨@mipaltan have won the toss and elected to bowl first against @KKRiders in Match 2⃣

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/JmJcgsoHQ7#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #MIvKKR pic.twitter.com/GgI4BwiTd7

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 29, 2026

Big surprise as Suryakumar Yadav named impact player

Mumbai Indians have taken a few bold calls with their combination. They have gone with six batters and five bowlers, but the big talking point is Suryakumar Yadav.

In a surprise move, Suryakumar will play as an impact player. After leading India in the recent T20 World Cup, his role here becomes even more interesting.

There is also no Quinton de Kock in the playing XI, which is another big call. Ryan Rickelton will open the innings with Rohit Sharma.

Young Afghanistan spinner AM Ghazanfar comes into the side and will make his IPL debut. It’s a big stage for him and MI will be hoping he can deliver on a surface that might offer something early on.

KKR stick to plans, Muzarabani gets his chance

Led by Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders are going with a similar balance of six batters and five bowlers. The side has had some injury concerns in the pace department, but they have backed their available options.

Blessing Muzarabani is set to make his IPL debut. The Zimbabwe pacer has been around the league before but did not get a game. This time, he finally gets his opportunity and it will be a big moment for him.

Captains react after toss

Hardik Pandya sounded confident and also pointed out the surface conditions.

“Looks like a good track, it appears greener than it used to. Let’s see how it plays. This is our fortress, the crowd is behind us and we’re looking to play a good game.”

Ajinkya Rahane also shared his thoughts and admitted the surface looks different than usual.

“Never seen this amount of grass at Wankhede. Preparations have been good, couple of camps in Kolkata and in Mumbai as well. Know that MI is a champion team and we’re looking forward to be playing against them.”

Playing XIs

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

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

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