Suryakumar Yadav leads MI as Hardik Pandya misses out (ANI Photo) Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and decided to bowl first against Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026 decider. RCB go into the match under pressure after recent defeats against Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants pushed them to the fourth spot in the points table. Although they remain firmly in the playoffs, their cushion over the chasing teams has decreased significantly.
Watch
Why Suryakumar Yadav Will Lose India T20I Captaincy: Everything You Need To Know Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, are cowering in ninth place and staring at elimination despite winning their previous game. Another defeat could leave them on the brink of relegation. Regular MI captain Hardik Pandya will also miss this match after not being available in the previous match as well.At the toss, MI captain Suryakumar Yadav said the side was “quite confident” batting first on the black-soil wicket and believed the pressure to score would be important later in the game. “It’s a big ground and runs on the board will always put pressure on the opposition,” he said while admitting that the team has been working hard to improve their bowling performance. RCB captain Rajat Patidar said bowling first was a “pretty obvious” decision due to the hard surface and favorable conditions. “We have had a couple of losses but it is important to stay in the present and focus on our strengths,” Patidar said. He added that RCB were more focused on improving their own game rather than worrying about other teams.Teams:Bombay Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar
