Mumbai, March 28 (NationPress) The Mumbai Indians (MI), who have clinched the title five times, are set to kick off their IPL 2026 journey against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), three-time champions, at the renowned Wankhede Stadium this Sunday.

With their eyes firmly set on securing a sixth championship, MI is led by Hardik Pandya, who continues as captain for the third consecutive season, aiming to steer the team towards a triumphant campaign.

Last season, MI made a commendable return, qualifying for the playoffs but faced elimination at the hands of the Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2. Having not lifted the trophy since 2020, the team is determined to change their fortunes in this upcoming season.

Boasting a formidable lineup featuring stars like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Trent Boult, MI looks to be a well-rounded and formidable adversary.

On the other hand, the Kolkata Knight Riders have assembled a robust squad, capitalizing on their substantial budget during the mini-auction. Ajinkya Rahane continues as captain, supported by a dynamic group that includes Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Finn Allen. Notably, this season marks KKR's first in over a decade without the presence of Andre Russell.

KKR struggled last season, managing only five victories out of 14 matches in the group stage, ultimately finishing in 8th place despite entering as defending champions.

When: March 29, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Where to watch on TV: The MI vs KKR match will be broadcast live on Star Sports channels.

Where to watch on mobile and laptop: Fans can catch the live stream on the JioHotstar website and app, available in several regional languages.

Squads:

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ryan Rickleton, Robin Minz, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Naman Dhir, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Allah Ghafanzar, Ashwani Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, Raghu Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur, Quinton de Kock, Mohammad Izhar, Danish Malewar, Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Rawat.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Umran Malik, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi Dahiya, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Prashant Solanki, Daksh Kamra