IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians will be without these 2 players, those with 33-ball centuries will be a threat to KKR

New Delhi. There is going to be an exciting match for cricket lovers in IPL 2026 today i.e. on Sunday. 5-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI) and 3-time trophy winner Kolkata Knight Riders will play their first match. This match will start at 7:30 pm at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. On the first day of IPL 2026, defending champions RCB started the tournament with a win by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 6 wickets. Now the match between MI and KKR has brought both excitement and challenge for the spectators.

There are no two big names in the playing 11 of Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai Indians is a strong contender for the title this time too. The team has stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma. But in the first match, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner and England all-rounder Will Jacques have not been able to join the team. Without them, Sherfane Rutherford and Afghan spinner Allah Ghazanfar may get a chance in the team’s playing 11. Despite this change, the balance of Mumbai’s batting and bowling looks good.

Mumbai Indians Probable Playing 11:
Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Naman Dheer, Hardik Pandya (captain), Sherfane Rutherford, Deepak Chahar, Allah Ghazanfar/Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.

Finn Allen will be a challenge for KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders team is also full of dangerous players. The team includes Finn Allen, who took New Zealand to the final in the T20 World Cup 2026 by scoring a century in just 33 balls. In this innings he hit 10 fours and 8 sixes. The presence of this player is a big strength for KKR and Mumbai bowlers will have to play carefully.

KKR’s team also includes foreign players like Cameron Green and Blessing Muzarabani, who single-handedly have the ability to change the course of the match.

KKR probable playing 11:
Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Finn Allen (wicketkeeper), Cameron Green, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakraborty, Umran Malik, Blessing Muzarabani.

head to head record

So far in IPL history, 35 matches have been played between MI and KKR. In which MI has won 24 matches and KKR has won 11 matches. There were 12 matches between the two teams at the Wankhede Stadium, in which MI won 10 and KKR won only 2. These figures are heavily in favor of Mumbai, but KKR’s overseas swashbuckler can make a difference in the match.

In IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians will be without Mitchell Santner and Will Jacques, while Mumbai will face a tough challenge from KKR’s Finn Allen and a team equipped with foreign players. This match is going to test the strength and strategy of both the teams and will bring an exciting evening for the cricket fans.