The Mumbai Indians (MI) are all set to lock horns with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday in front of the home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in what is going to be an epic clash, reminiscent of the 'Mahabharata'! Just as the 'Pandavas' and 'Kauravas' belonged to the same family tree, the Wankhede crowd will witness players who once shared the dressing room in Mumbai's domestic team take on each other. Here's another similarity: like the epic tale, both the sides also have towering figures such as Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, and Musheer Khan. These players are well aware of the ground's conditions and will look to assert dominance in the clash. Stalwart Rohit, who will likely feature in the match as an 'Impact Player', will be expected to hit towering maximums. In the previous match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), he sustained an injury, which forced him to retire hurt. Along with him, fans will also keep a tab on Suryakumar, who is a proven big scorer on the iconic ground. However, will these players succeed in delivering big knocks is the question, as managing the opponents' bowlers will be the city's very own Shreyas. So far, everybody is familiar with the Punjab skipper's game awareness and captaincy tactics. Considering that he will be leading a team in his home ground, the right-handed batsman will look to benefit himself with the advantage. Along with Shreyas, Musheer — known for his explosive batting just like his elder brother Sarfaraz — will also be in the team. Although the 21-year-old cricketer’s feature in the match is uncertain, his presence in the squad, especially for Mumbai’s clash, would be important. To stop Shreyas and Musheer from dominating the game, the ‘Paltan’ will turn to Shardul Thakur as their key weapon. The pacer is well aware of Shreyas's batting style and would look to share game plans with his fellow bowlers during the match. It remains to be seen which Mumbaikars emerge dominant on Thursday in the city’s cricketing Kurukshetra — the Wankhede Stadium. IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings: Full Squads Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (wk), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Atharva Ankolekar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tilak Varma, Ashwani Kumar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, AM Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande, Mohammad Izhar, Raghu Sharma. Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shashank Singh, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Shreyas Iyer, Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Harpreet Brar, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Cooper Conolly, Mitchell Owen, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Vishal Nishad.
16 April,2026 04:50 PM IST | Mumbai | Sujay ShivalkarIn the IPL 2026 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerged victorious by five wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. During the match, RCB's star pacer Josh Hazlewood returned with the figures of one wicket for 20 runs in four overs. Following the performance, he was also named the "Player of the Match". Speaking about his performance, Hazlewood said that he was feeling better. "Felt much better today, in good shape. Got to look at who you are playing against, conditions play a part, slow wicket today, just had to whack that length," he said. He also said that assessing the conditions quickly was the key point for the Royal Challengers in the clash against the Super Giants. "Summing up the conditions as early as we can is a huge plus for us," said Hazlewood. The pacer then revealed that he is working on the slower balls to stay effective in the shortest format of the game. "I'd like to have a few funky deliveries... always working on those slower balls... keep moving forward," said the 35-year-old cricketer. IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants: Match summary Batting first, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were bowled out for 146 runs in 20 overs. Opening batsman Mitchell Marsh was the top scorer for the side. Facing 32 balls, the right-handed batsman scored 40 runs, including three boundaries and two maximums. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mukul Choudhary scored 39 runs in 28 balls, with the help of three boundaries and two maximums. Ayush Badoni also garnered 38 runs off 24 balls, laced with four boundaries and a maximum. RCB's Rasikh Salam returned with the figures of four wickets for 24 runs in four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed three wickets by conceding 27 runs in four overs. Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood also bagged two and one wicket, respectively. In the second essay of the game, Bengaluru chased the target by scoring 149 runs for the loss of five wickets in 15.1 overs. Kohli scored 49 runs, which provided a strong start to the side. Skipper Rajat Patidar managed to register 27 runs in 13 balls, including a boundary and three maximums, whereas wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma scored 23 runs in just nine balls, with the help of two boundaries and the same number of maximums. LSG's Prince Yadav claimed three wickets by giving away 32 runs in his spell of three overs. Avesh Khan bagged two wickets by leaking 23 runs in four overs. (With ANI Inputs)
16 April,2026 03:30 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Mumbai Indians (MI) are all set to clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2026 match on Thursday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Ahead of the match, MI's management has named Krish Bhagat as the replacement for Atharva Ankolekar, who has been ruled out of the league due to injury. Bhagat, who plays for Punjab, is a right-arm pacer and is also handy with the bat. The franchise's official social media handle shared a post, providing an update on Akolekar's replacement. "Mumbai Indians sign Krish Bhagat as a replacement player. Mumbai Indians have named Krish Bhagat as a replacement for Atharva Ankolekar, who has been ruled out of IPL 2026," read the post's caption. ๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ ๐Mumbai Indians have named Krish Bhagat as a replacement for Atharva Ankolekar, who has been ruled out of IPL 2026. Read more ๐ https://t.co/rsMBu1p0aO… pic.twitter.com/xi4GLZqpcz — Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 16, 2026 Additionally, it will be interesting to see if Mumbai's veteran batsman Rohit Sharma manages to make his appearance for the match. Earlier, the right-handed batsman had retired hurt on the score of 19 runs during the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). However, there are speculations that the 38-year-old batsman will likely feature in the match as an Impact Player. The clash will be one to watch out for as the opponent team will be led by Shreyas Iyer, who is well aware of Wankhede's conditions. IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings: Full Squads Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (wk), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Atharva Ankolekar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tilak Varma, Ashwani Kumar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, AM Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande, Mohammad Izhar, Raghu Sharma. Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shashank Singh, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Shreyas Iyer, Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Harpreet Brar, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Cooper Conolly, Mitchell Owen, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Vishal Nishad.
16 April,2026 03:30 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerged victorious by five wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. During the match, wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma played an explosive cameo of nine balls. He accumulated 23 runs, laced with two boundaries and the same number of maximums. Speaking after the match, he revealed the team's approach and the players' mindset for the entire tournament. "I think this year we are very smart about the wicket. We are adjusting the wicket. We are tactically working, and I think that's why we are winning all the games at home. I think that shows that we are working smartly and efficiently," he said during the press conference. Further, he specifically spoke about Bengaluru's batting department. The 32-year-old cricketer said that all the batsmen in the team have decided to attack all the bowlers and teams. "Just dominate the bowlers. That's the mindset we have. Irrelevant of the situation, like today when I went to bat, I know that it's a ball-to-ball game. But as we batsmen have decided how we want to play this year or how we want to approach the game, it's very clear that you can see it. So that's the statement from us. We just want to attack all the bowlers and the teams," said Jitesh. IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants: Match summary Batting first, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were bowled out for 146 runs in 20 overs. Opening batsman Mitchell Marsh was the top scorer for the side. Facing 32 balls, the right-handed batsman scored 40 runs, including three boundaries and two maximums. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mukul Choudhary scored 39 runs in 28 balls, with the help of three boundaries and two maximums. Ayush Badoni also garnered 38 runs off 24 balls, laced with four boundaries and a maximum. RCB's Rasikh Salam returned with the figures of four wickets for 24 runs in four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed three wickets by conceding 27 runs in four overs. Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood also bagged two and one wicket, respectively. In the second essay of the game, Bengaluru chased the target by scoring 149 runs for the loss of five wickets in 15.1 overs. Kohli scored 49 runs, which provided a strong start to the side. Skipper Rajat Patidar managed to register 27 runs in 13 balls, including a boundary and three maximums, whereas wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma scored 23 runs in just nine balls, with the help of two boundaries and the same number of maximums. LSG's Prince Yadav claimed three wickets by giving away 32 runs in his spell of three overs. Avesh Khan bagged two wickets by leaking 23 runs in four overs. (With ANI Inputs)
16 April,2026 02:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Lucknow Super Kings (LSG), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerged victorious by five wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. During the match, RCB's stalwart Virat Kohli came in as an impact player. Facing 34 deliveries, the right-handed batsman scored 49 runs, with the help of six boundaries and a maximum. Later, providing an update on his fitness, the right-handed batsman said he has still not gained 100 per cent. Kohli also said that he would have liked to continue batting and finish the game for his side. "Much better than the last game. I'm still not 100 per cent. My knee was a bit sore in the last game. Even health-wise, I've been under the weather for four or five days now. So, just getting back up to my best. I started well today, so I was happy with my intensity. Again, would have liked to carry on and finish the game off. Sometimes you have to take the conditions into account as well. The pitch slowed down considerably, and I just wanted to keep going in the same manner. But yeah, in the end, should have probably finished that one off as well," he said after the match. IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants: Match summary Batting first, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were bowled out for 146 runs in 20 overs. Opening batsman Mitchell Marsh was the top scorer for the side. Facing 32 balls, the right-handed batsman scored 40 runs, including three boundaries and two maximums. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mukul Choudhary scored 39 runs in 28 balls, with the help of three boundaries and two maximums. Ayush Badoni also garnered 38 runs off 24 balls, laced with four boundaries and a maximum. RCB's Rasikh Salam returned with the figures of four wickets for 24 runs in four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed three wickets by conceding 27 runs in four overs. Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood also bagged two and one wicket, respectively. In the second essay of the game, Bengaluru chased the target by scoring 149 runs for the loss of five wickets in 15.1 overs. Kohli scored 49 runs, which provided a strong start to the side. Skipper Rajat Patidar managed to register 27 runs in 13 balls, including a boundary and three maximums, whereas wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma scored 23 runs in just nine balls, with the help of two boundaries and the same number of maximums. LSG's Prince Yadav claimed three wickets by giving away 32 runs in his spell of three overs. Avesh Khan bagged two wickets by leaking 23 runs in four overs. (With ANI Inputs)
16 April,2026 11:38 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a loss by 43 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. During the match, the DJ in the stadium played the track 'Dosa, idli, sambar, chutney, chutney' when the Super Kings were struggling to chase the target in the second essay of the game. CSK's management has filed a complaint to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the choice of the song played by the DJ, Indian Express reported. The report further stated that an IPL official confirmed the development by saying, "We have received a complaint from CSK and are looking into it". IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings: Match summary Batting first, the hosts posted a total of 250 runs for the loss of three wickets in 20 overs. Opening batsman Phil Salt scored 46 runs in 30 balls, including three boundaries and two maximums. Fellow opening batsman Virat Kohli managed to score 28 runs in 18 balls, with the help of two boundaries and a maximum. Devdutt Padikkal registered 50 runs in just 29 balls, and smashed five boundaries, two maximums. Skipper Rajat Patidar garnered an unbeaten 48 runs off just 19 deliveries, laced with a boundary and six maximums. Shouldering him was burly batsman Tim David, who smashed an unbeaten 70 runs in 25 balls. During his knock, he smashed three boundaries and eight maximums. CSK's Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, and Shivam Dube bagged one wicket each. In an attempt to chase a target of 251 runs, the Super Kings were bowled out for 207 runs in 19.4 overs. Sarfaraz Khan managed to smash a half-century. Facing 25 balls, the right-handed batsman scored 50 runs, including eight boundaries and two maximums. Later, Prashant Veer and Jamie Overton scored 43 and 37 runs, respectively. RCB's Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned with the figures of three wickets for 41 runs in four overs. Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh, and Krunal Pandya bagged two wickets each. Impact Player, Suyash Sharma, also chipped in with one wicket. With this, the Royal Challengers registered a victory by 43 runs against the Super Kings.
16 April,2026 11:16 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThough Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) are on equal terms in their head-to-head record, with both teams winning 17 of their 34 games, the visitors hold a slight advantage ahead of tonight’s IPL-19 encounter at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. The Hardik Pandya-led five-time champions are struggling to find the right combination, having lost their last three games. The hosts are placed ninth on the points table with just one win. In contrast, Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab outfit are yet to taste defeat this season, winning three games while one was washed out.MI have a few major issues to address, the most important being the availability of opener Rohit Sharma, who has scored 137 runs in four matches so far. Rohit was present at the Wankhede on Wednesday evening and spent considerable time doing light running and stretching, even sharing some light moments with MI’s support staff. He also batted in the nets for around 20 minutes, taking throwdowns and playing a few lofted shots. Ahead of MI batter Naman Dhir’s pre-match press conference, the team management clarified that their medical team and coaching staff are assessing Rohit’s fitness. The attacking batter had retired hurt on 19 due to a hamstring injury in the previous game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, but looks set to feature as an Impact Substitute today. MI will also hope their other top-order batters step up, with the inconsistent Suryakumar Yadav (106 runs in four games) and out-of-form Tilak Varma (35 in four matches) needing to shoulder more responsibility. But the biggest concern for the hosts is their bowling unit’s inability to take wickets and restrict run flow. In four games, MI’s bowlers have managed just 15 wickets with pacer Jasprit Bumrah still awaiting his first dismissal of the season. “We have done well with the bat in the Powerplays, considering the conditions. Bowling-wise, if you say we haven’t taken wickets, then yes, that is a small concern. But [Trent] Boult, Bumrah, Deepak Chahar are all quality bowlers and can win us matches anytime,” Dhir told reporters. 6013Total runs scored by Rohit Sharma for MI — he becomes the first MI player to cross the 6000-run mark 45.66Rohit Sharma’s average this season; the opener has scored 137 runs in four matches 11.19Run rate at which MI bowlers have conceded runs in the first four games this season 11.44Run rate at Wankhede this season; teams have scored 906 runs in 79.1 overs across two games 17No. of matches won each by MI and Punjab Kings against each other in the IPL; both have played 34 games
16 April,2026 10:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureAmidst a packed IPL schedule, Chennai Super Kings batter Sarfaraz Khan spent a relaxing day in the swimming pool with his son Shazil (one) at a hotel in Chennai. He shared a series of pictures with his son in the water, captioning the post: “Cute penguin love[s] swimming.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by SARFARAZ KHAN (@sarfarazkhan97)
16 April,2026 10:02 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentSkipper Ruturaj Gaikwad on Tuesday said it is “coming together slowly” for Chennai Super Kings after the five-time IPL winners recorded a second consecutive win, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 32 runs here. Undergoing a transition, CSK came into this contest after a comprehensive 23-run win over Delhi Capitals and produced another convincing show to beat KKR and move one spot up to eighth in the points table. “Slowly, slowly, it is starting to come together, I feel,” Gaikwad told broadcaster after the match. “Everyone kind of knows what their role is, which overs and what lengths to bowl at. I think they are adjusting and adapting really well according to what [the] team needs. “As I said, slowly, slowly, we are getting better and better and that is a good sign for us,” he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2026 09:40 AM IST | Chennai | PTIAjinkya Rahane admitted that a lack of momentum with the bat continues to hurt Kolkata Knight Riders, even as he praised the bowling unit for keeping the contest alive in their clash against Chennai Super Kings, which they lost by 32 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday. Reflecting on the performance, Rahane pointed out that KKR’s bowlers had done well to recover after a tough start in the Power-play. “No real momentum with the bat. Absolutely. I thought that with the ball, we retreated really good. 190 on this wicket was really good, especially the powerplay that they got, 70-odd runs. After that, pulling back to 190 was an amazing job from our bowling unit,” the KKR skipper said after the loss. Despite the bowlers’ efforts, Rahane acknowledged that the batting unit failed to capitalise, particularly in the Power-play, where KKR got off to a slow start. “I thought initially with our batting, we just got 36 or 37 runs in the Power-play. I thought that was really important. Middle phase, to hitting spinners was slightly challenging, but apart from that, the wicket was really good,” he said. The KKR skipper emphasised the need for one batter to anchor the innings and take the game deep, something that has been missing in recent outings, saying, “We needed one batter to bat until deep and then take it in the end.” With the team struggling to string together wins, Rahane admitted it has been a challenging phase but stressed the importance of staying mentally strong. “I think it's tough at the moment. Yes, we're not winning matches; it's tough. What is important for all of us as a group to stay positive, keep our heads up, keep our chin up, just focus on the moment,” he mentioned. He also hinted that the team management may revisit combinations in search of the right balance as results continue to elude them, stating, “Yes, we'll have to sit in the dressing room, think about the combinations. We'll have to make any changes. Sometimes you bat with the players, the results are going your way, then it's okay. But if the results are not going your way, then you'll have to think about the combination.” Rahane, however, reserved special praise for young pacer Kartik Tyagi, highlighting his rapid progress and growing impact. “I think all credit goes to him. I mean, he's working really hard in the nets. He's been bowling really good and is a great talent. The pace at which he's bowling at the moment has been amazing. So I'm really happy for him. Game by game, he's improving his skills,” he said. The KKR captain also acknowledged the role of spinners from both sides, noting that conditions made strokeplay difficult through the middle overs. “Yeah, all three spinners. I mean, if you see from CSK spinners, they also bowled really well. It was not easy for batters to hit big sixes unless you bowled really full. It was easy. Otherwise, putting it back and then going across wasn't an easy option for the batters. So I thought from both sides, spinners bowled really well. So I thought from both sides, spinners bowled really well,” Rahane noted. As KKR look to revive their campaign, Rahane reiterated the need for belief and composure within the group, expressing, “We just have to, as I said, keep that head up and just be positive and have that self-belief.” 7No. of consecutive matches without a win for KKR This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2026 09:10 AM IST | Chennai | IANSPunjab Kings batter Nehal Wadhera is confident about his team performing well against Mumbai Indians in tonight’s IPL encounter at Wankhede. He revealed how skipper Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting’s positive words have helped the team play without pressure till date. “Shreyas told me to ‘play without any pressure, taking pressure is my [Iyer] job’. I think this says a lot about him as a captain. He enjoys the pressure... you can see it in his performance and batting. It’s a big thing for a captain to say this to his player. I felt really good after hearing this, that you [should] play your own game and not worry about the results,” Wadhera said during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. Head coach Ricky Ponting with skipper Shreyas Iyer during Punjab Kings’s practice session at Wankhede on Wednesday. Pic/Ashish Raje Wadhera hailed Ponting for creating a positive dressing room environment. “I think he [Ponting] just speaks positively. He doesn’t have any negative words in his dictionary. So, when there is so much positive talk in the atmosphere, the team environment becomes very good,” added Wadhera. FourNo. of 200-plus scores for Punjab Kings at Wankhede — the most by a visiting team ZeroNo. of matches Punjab Kings have lost this season; they are the only unbeaten team so far
16 April,2026 09:04 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureADVERTISEMENT
