Mumbai Indians will lock horns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the night match at the Wankhede Stadium, with this fixture marking MI’s first home outing of IPL 2026. After a noticeably sluggish start to their campaign, the five-time champions are hoping their move back to familiar conditions sparks a stronger run of performances as they host the defending champions. MI did manage a positive opening in the tournament, ending a long wait for a winning start by beating Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets nearly two weeks ago. However, they could not carry that momentum forward, losing both of their away games heavily and slipping to eighth position, backed by a net run rate of -0.715.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, meanwhile, began IPL 2026 with two victories before suffering a defeat. With the contest set to unfold at Wankhede under lights, both sides will be searching for momentum—MI through a home revival, and RCB to keep their early rhythm intact.
Live watch points: Kohli’s milestone and MI’s early campaign
Virat Kohli is presented with a significant personal target as the match approaches. He needs 78 runs to reach 1,000 IPL runs against Mumbai Indians. Should he attain the milestone during this game, Kohli would become the first batter to post 1,000 or more runs versus five different franchises in IPL history. At present, no other player has reached this mark against more than two teams.
From an MI perspective, the story of their IPL start has been a mix of breakthrough and struggle. They snapped a 14-year pattern of failing to win their season opener by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets. Yet, their batting unit—particularly—ran into difficulties in the next outings. MI were beaten by six wickets by Delhi Capitals and later suffered a 27-run loss against Rajasthan Royals.
Squads for Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (w), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, AM Ghazanfar, Jasprit Bumrah, Sherfane Rutherford, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Mayank Markande, Quinton de Kock, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Venkatesh Iyer, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Swapnil Singh, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Satvik Deswal.
Welcome and what to expect
Hello and welcome to the blockbuster clash of IPL 2026. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face five-time winners Mumbai Indians in the evening game at the Wankhede Stadium. Follow along for live scores and continuous updates as the contest gets underway.
