IPL 2026 | “Is he playing for pride?” Hardik Pandya’s reaction to Ravi Shastri during the toss has gone viral

Ravi Shastri and Hardik Pandya (BCCI/IPL Photo) NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to field first against Mumbai Indians in their crucial IPL 2026 clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.KKR were unchanged from the previous match while Mumbai got a big boost as skipper Hardik Pandya returned to the playing XI after missing matches due to injury. Suryakumar Yadav also returned to the side. With 11 points from 12 matches, KKR need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, are already out of contention for a place in the final four.“We want to bowl first. (They need two wins from two) Yes, absolutely. It’s that simple. We just want to focus on this game. We played really good cricket last game against GT. As you mentioned, we need to win two from two, but staying in the moment, playing good cricket over the course of 40 overs, that’s really important,” Rahanse said.Reflecting on KKR’s up-and-down campaign, Rahane added: “(Season on a swing) Yeah, I think there were moments in the first half of the tournament that we could have used and things could have been different, but again, no complaints, no regrets. The way we came back, the way we pulled things out and the confidence in the group in the dressing room was always amazing. The atmosphere in the dressing room was always amazing. about being at this moment and how you can give back how you can do well for the team and the boys were fantastic (on the field) To be honest it’s hard to read the wicket but like I said we have to play good cricket in 40 overs and then we’ll see what happens with the same team.During the draw presentation, former India head coach Ravi Shastri asked Pandya if Mumbai Indians, after being knocked out of the tournament, were now only playing for pride.In response, Pandya said, “We would have bowled first as well. It looks like a track that was under wraps. I just wanted to see exactly how it is played.”On MI’s approach to the remaining games, Pandya said: “(Playing for pride) Absolutely. Every game you play, you want to win. You want to play your best cricket, put your best foot forward. At the same time, Mumbai Indians have a long history of winning titles. So I just want to make sure we hold our heads high and make sure we represent the best group here. Yes, Butod that’s Indian. past. We have yet to show up, play good cricket and enjoy (Changes?) I’m back and I think so, just two changes.Playing XI:Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton (w), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghu Sharma.Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (w), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh Dubey.Here are the Impact substitutes for both teams:Mumbai Indians Impact Subs: Shardul Thakur, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, AM GhazanfarKolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Finn Allen, Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rahul Tripathi