Mumbai Indians (MI) will begin their campaign in IPL 2026 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday, March 29, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The five-time champions were eliminated by Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 in the IPL last season. They will be looking to progress in the 19th edition of the cash-rich league.
Former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar requested hardik pandya And Co. should start the campaign with a bang instead of scrambling in the final stages of the league stage. Mumbai has been known to be slow starters in the last few years.
Bangar believes that Mumbai can start their campaign with a win as they have an excellent record against the Knights. Of the 35 meetings between the multiple-time champions, MI have won 24, while KKR have emerged victorious on only 11 occasions.
Speaking on Jiostar's 'Tata IPL: Schedule Announcement', Bangar said, “MI will definitely want to start with a win because they have traditionally been off to slow starts. They wouldn't want to be in a similar situation. Last year too, they had to lose after five or six matches after a bad start. So, you don't want to leave it so late.”
He said, “Teams always talk about making a great start, like Royal Challengers Bangalore did last year. Lead and let others follow you. MI would like to do something similar this season as it has been a long title drought, which has now stretched for over five years. So, MI will be keen to change that, and with their in-form Indian players, you would want to start with a win against Kolkata Knight Riders.”
Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Will Jacks are some of the in-form players who performed well in the 2026 T20 World Cup. On the other hand, it will be interesting to see if KKR starts with the Kiwi pair of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, who were excellent during the marquee event.
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