Hardik Pandya and Rajat Patidar (Image Credit: Mumbai Indians)
New Delhi: Fans have been eagerly awaiting the exciting IPL 2026 clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Apart from the high-profile rivalry, the much-awaited showdown between stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, known for their long-standing friendship, was also highlighted.When the two teams took to the field, players from both sides were seen wearing black armbands.Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya walked out of the draw wearing a black armband and won, opting to field against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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“We’ll bowl first. It looks like a good track. We played the first game on the other pitch, and this one looks similar. It’s always good to bat second here. I think it’s a big game. I just want to go out and play our best cricket, do the things we talked about in the meetings, and just enjoy the sport.”
We asked for a good wicket and we got it. “As long as you land the ball correctly as a bowler and play the correct shots as a batsman, you are in the game,” Pandya said during the toss.
“Over the years at Wankhede, the chase has worked for a lot of teams. Being home, the dew comes later as well. So it’s good to know what you’re chasing, and you can plan your innings accordingly. Mayank Markande and Mitchell Santner come in for Chahar and Ghazanfar,” he said.
RCB has made one change to their playing XI. Among them was Jacob Duffy, replacing Josh Hazlewood. “Obviously he could have bowled first. But as you all know, it’s a good batting trajectory. The ball comes nicely to the bat with good bounce. So honestly, it won’t make much difference. We will try to put a good total on the board and keep them under pressure. This is our fourth match. The way we have played in the last few matches, there are a lot of positives,” RCB captain Rajat Patidar said.“In the last game, we were 97 for 6 and still managed to score over 200. That’s a positive sign for us. We’re enjoying it a lot here. Whenever we come, we see big crowds. It’s tough, but at the same time, fun and exciting. Just one change, Duffy comes in for Hazlewood,” he said.
Why did RCB and MI players wear black armbands?
Both bands wore black armbands as a sign of respect following the death of the legendary playback singer
Asha Bhosle
who died on Sunday at the age of 92. The players also observed a minute of silence in memory of her before the start of the match.Going into the match, both teams were looking to bounce back after setbacks against Rajasthan Royals, where they were outplayed by 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi.Mumbai Indians were aiming to snap a two-match losing streak, while defending champions RCB were keen to get back to winning ways after being outclassed in their previous outing.Historically, in Indian Premier League clashes between the two sides, Virat Kohli has had the upper hand.
The RCB star scored 922 runs in 34 matches (33 innings) against Mumbai Indians at an average of 31.79 and a strike rate of 128.77, including six half-centuries.Rohit Sharma, who also faced Kohli during his stint with Deccan Chargers, represented Mumbai Indians in 26 matches against RCB, scoring 629 runs in 25 innings at an average of 27.34 and a strike rate of over 142, with four fifties and a highest score of 94.