MI players wore black armbands during their IPL 2026 meeting with Sunrisers Hyderabad at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, a gesture the franchise said was tied to a personal loss within their support staff’s family.
Key takeaways
- Mumbai Indians confirmed the black armbands were worn in remembrance of a support staff member’s daughter.
- Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- Rohit Sharma remained unavailable as he continues recovery, with Hardik indicating he needs a couple more matches before returning.
- Quinton de Kock missed out due to a wrist issue, with Ryan Rickelton and Robin Minz included in the XI.
- Pat Cummins expected the pitch to play slightly differently, advising precise execution over overthinking.
Why Mumbai wore black armbands
Mumbai Indians said the decision to wear black armbands came after the untimely death of the daughter of a member of their support staff. The franchise stated that the players would wear the armbands “in remembrance and solidarity with the family,” adding that the gesture was meant to honour the loss and stand with those affected.
Toss, team approach and captain’s comments
On the field, Hardik Pandya, leading the Mumbai side, won the toss and elected to bat first. He felt the conditions were favourable, noting it looked like a breezy day and that dew was unlikely to influence proceedings. With that in mind, the captain said the plan was to bat and aim to post as much as possible on the scoreboard.
Hardik also explained the mindset heading into the contest, describing the importance of resetting and avoiding overcomplication. He pointed to good training sessions and emphasised that the team’s objective was to come out and play their best cricket.
Rohit Sharma sidelined and other availability changes
Rohit Sharma was again a notable absence as he continues his recovery. Hardik confirmed that Rohit is expected to take a couple more games before he returns to action, clarifying that he is not yet at the level he would want, and therefore remains unavailable for this match.
There was also a change in the opening group, with Quinton de Kock ruled out due to a wrist-related issue. Mumbai responded by bringing in Ryan Rickelton and Robin Minz into the playing XI.
SRH captain’s pitch read
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins indicated he expected the surface to be a touch challenging. He suggested the wicket could have a degree of tackiness and urged the team to focus on executing their skills rather than getting caught up in thinking too much. For Cummins, adapting quickly would be the deciding factor.
Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians XI: Ryan Rickelton (w), Will Jacks, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Robin Minz, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar.
Sunrisers Hyderabad XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora (w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Harsh Dubey, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga.
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