Hardik Pandya and Rajat Patidar (Image credit: Mumbai Indians) NEW DELHI: Fans eagerly awaited the thrilling IPL 2026 clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Apart from the prestigious competition, the much-anticipated clash between batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, known for their long-standing friendship, also took center stage.When the teams took the field, players from both sides wore black armbands.Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya went to the toss with a black armband and won it, choosing to field against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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‘We lost momentum’ – Mahela on MI defeat and key mistakes “We’re going to bowl first. It looks like a good track. We played the first game on the second pitch, this looks similar. It’s always good to bat second here. I think it’s a big game. I just want to go out and play our best cricket, do the things we’ve talked about in the meetings and just enjoy the sport. We’ve been demanding good wickets and we’ve been playing as long as we’re batting right. batter, you’re in,” she said Pandya during the toss. “Over the years at the Wankhede, chasing has worked well for a lot of teams. Being our home ground, the dew comes later. So it’s good to know what you’re chasing, you can plan your innings accordingly. Mayank Markande and Mitchell Santner come in for Chahar and Ghazanfar,” he said. RCB have made one change to their playing XI. They included Jacob Duffy in place of Josh Hazlewood. “Obviously I would have bowled first. But as you all know, it’s a good track. The ball is hitting the bat nicely with good bounce. So honestly, it won’t make too much of a difference. We’ll try to put a good total on the board and keep them under pressure. This is our fourth game. The way we’ve played the last few games is very positive,” said RCB captain Rajat Patidar.“We were 97 for 6 in the last game and still managed to score over 200. That’s a positive sign for us. We’re enjoying it a lot here. We see great crowds whenever we come. It’s challenging but also fun and exciting. Just one change, Duffy comes in for Hazlewood,” he said.
Why did RCB and MI players wear black armbands?
Both teams wore black armbands as a mark of respect following the death of legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle, who died on Sunday at the age of 92. The players also observed a minute of silence in her memory before the start of the match.Coming into the match, both sides were looking to bounce back from setbacks against Rajasthan Royals where they were outplayed by 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.Mumbai Indians were aiming to stop a two-match losing streak, while defending champions RCB were looking to get back to winning ways after being outclassed in their previous match.Historically, in IPL clashes between the two sides, Virat Kohli has had the upper hand. The RCB star scored 922 runs in 34 matches (33 innings) against Mumbai Indians at an average of 31.79 and a strike rate of 128.77, including six half-centuries.
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Rohit Sharma, who also faced Kohli during his time with Deccan Chargers, represented Mumbai Indians in 26 matches against RCB, scoring 629 runs in 25 innings at an average of 27.34 and a pass rate of 142, with four fifties and a top score of 94.
