20 May,2026 07:32 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ajinkya Rahane (Pic: File Pic)
In the IPL 2026 match against Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
After winning the toss, KKR's skipper Rahane said, "We are looking to bowl first. (They need two wins out of two) Yes, absolutely. It's as simple as that. We just want to focus on this game. We played really good cricket overall last game against GT. As you've mentioned, we need to win two out of two, but staying in the moment, playing good cricket over the course of 40 overs, it's really important. (See-saw season) Yeah, I think the first half of the tournament, there were moments that we could have capitalized and the things could have been different, but again, no complaints, no regrets. The way we came back, the way we pulled off things, and the confidence amongst the group was amazing. The atmosphere in the dressing room was really good. It's always about the comeback. It's always about being in the moment and how can you come back, how can you do well for the team. And guys have been fantastic. (About the pitch) It's frankly tough to read the wicket, but as I said, we need to play good cricket throughout 40 overs, and then see what happens. We are going with the same team".
On the other hand, MI's captain Hardik Pandya said, "We would have bowled first as well. Looks like a track which has been under the covers. Just wanted to see how exactly it plays out. (Playing for pride) Absolutely. Every game you play, you want to win. You want to play your best cricket, put the best foot forward. At the same point of time, Mumbai Indians have a long history of winning titles. So just want to make sure that we keep the head high and make sure that we represent Mumbai Indians in the best capacity. (Good record here) Yes, but that's in the past. We still need to turn up, play some good cricket and enjoy. (Changes?) I'm back. Ghaza is back and I think, yeah, just two changes".
MI's premier batsman Suryakumar Yadav is falling short of 55 runs to achieve the feat of completing 4000 runs for the Mumbai-based franchise. If he manages to score the required runs, Suryakumar will then become the second batsman to achieve the feat for the "Paltan".
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (C), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghu Sharma.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Cameron Green, Rovaman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh Dubey.
