Five-time champions Mumbai Indians are yet another serial IPL winners and will be gearing up to go after not lifting the coveted trophy since 2020, a five-year drought. With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing the first phase of IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians are slated to face three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders at home in their opening game of the tournament.
Mumbai Indians show marked improvement from their disastrous season in 2024
The Mumbai-based franchise stuck with star all-rounder Hardik Pandya as captain despite the side finishing at the bottom of the points table with only four wins in 10 games in the 2024 edition. However, Pandya and his men showed remarkable improvement by storming into the playoffs. Mumbai Indians did have a few bumps on the road and eventually came up short in the Eliminator against a dominant Punjab Kings side.
Due to the mini auction taking place this year, Mumbai Indians retained majority of their core, including Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, Naman Dhir, Allah Ghazanfar, Mitchell Santner, Ryan Rickelton, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Raghu Sharma and Mayank Markande. Their only major buy in the auction was Quinton de Kock, who they got for his base price of ₹1 crore. The South African opener played a key role in Mumbai Indians’ title victory in 2019 and 2020. The left-hander is likely to be reunited at the top of the order with Rohit Sharma.
Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 schedule
| Date | Day | Match | Venue |
| March 29 | Sunday | MI vs KKR | Mumbai |
| April 4 | Saturday | DC vs MI | Delhi |
| April 7 | Tuesday | RR vs MI | Guwahati |
| April 12 | Sunday | MI vs RCB | Mumbai |
Mumbai Indians’ squad
Hardik Pandya(C), Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Robin Minz, Sherfane Rutherford, Ryan Rickelton, Quinton De Cock, Danish Malewar, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Atharva Ankollekar, Mayank Rawat, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Mayank Markade, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Raghu Sharma, Mohammad Izhar, Allah Ghazanfar.
Also Read: CSK IPL 2026 Schedule: Serial Winners CSK To Face RR In Their Opening Game | Full Fixtures And Squad
