It’s still very much early in the IPL 2026 – the second week is just coming to an end – but match no. 20 could have a huge bearing on the momentum of the two teams involved, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), going forward towards mid-season.
The MI vs RCB fixture on Sunday will be played in the evening at the Wankhede Stadium. So far, RCB have won two and lost one match, while MI have won their opening game of the season for the first time since 2012 but then lost two in a row.
Interestingly, both RCB and MI walk into tonight’s clash after being bruised, hammered, and humbled by the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earlier in the week in Guwahati.
MI vs RCB Contests to watch out for today: Hardik vs Krunal Stats in IPL
Tonight we could once again see the battle of the Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal. In the IPL, Krunal has managed to keep Hardik quiet, with the young Pandya scoring only 29 runs off 31 balls against his elder brother and losing his wicket once.
Further, a match-defining contest could be Jasprit Bumrah vs Tim David and Romario Shepherd.
MI vs RCB head-to-head record:
These are two of the original eight franchises in 2008. There have been 35 RCB vs MI matches in the IPL so far, with Mumbai attaining a 19-14 win-loss record over Bengaluru. They have also been involved in one tied match, in IPL 2020, which RCB won in the Super Over.
RCB vs MI head-to-head stats in IPL:
- Matches: 35
- RCB won: 14
- MI won: 19
- Tied: 1 (RCB won in Super Over)
Is Mitchell Santner Playing Today?
Yes, Mitchell Santner, who missed MI’s previous match against RR due to a shoulder injury, is back in the side. He replaces AM Ghazanfar in the XI.
MI vs RCB Toss Result Today IPL 2026 & Its Impact On The Match, Playing XI And Impact Subs:
Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first, citing the chase-friendly nature of the pitch and dewy conditions at the Wankhede Stadium in night games.
Hardik announced two changes to MI’s lineup: Santner and Mayank Markande replace AM Ghazanfar and Deepak Chahar.
The toss’ impact on the match is that Mumbai now has a slight upper hand on the game since they will be going after a target rather than setting one, which is always advantageous at the Wankhede.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar claimed he would have bowled first as well had he won the toss. The major news that Patidar delivered, though, was that Josh Hazlewood is missing today’s match and Jacob Duffy replaces the Australian.
RCB vs MI: Why is Josh Hazlewood not playing today?
It’s likely that Hazlewood has been rested from today’s match against Mumbai Indians. Hazlewood played against RR when he conceded 44 runs in four overs. That was his first professional match since November. So it seems his workload will be managed, while Duffy has proven to be reliable in his two appearances this season.
MI Playing XI:
Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Subs: Ashwani Kumar, Sherfane Rutherford, Raghu Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa
RCB Playing XI:
Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Krunal Pandya, Devdutt Padikkal, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma
Impact subs: Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Rasikh Dar
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