Today’s IPL matches: Hardik Pandya not in action as RCB opts to take on MI

Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss and elected to bowl first mumbai indians In a crucial IPL 2026 match. RCB entered the match under pressure after recent losses to Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Supergiants, which dropped them to fourth in the points table. While they remain firmly in playoff contention, their cushion against chasing teams has been significantly reduced.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are currently in ninth place and are in danger of being eliminated despite winning their last match. Another defeat and they could be on the verge of elimination. MI regular captain Hardik Pandya Since he was unable to participate in the previous game, he also missed this game.Tossing, Captain MI Suryakumar Yadav Said the team was “very confident” of batting first on the black soil wicket and believed scoreboard pressure would be important later in the game. “It’s a big surface and running on the board always puts pressure on the opposition,” he said, while also admitting that the team has been working hard to improve its bowling performance. RCB captain rajapatidar Said it was a “very obvious” decision to bowl first as the pitch was hard and the chasing conditions were favourable. “We suffered some losses but it’s important to stay in the moment and focus on our strengths,” Patidar said. He added that RCB is more focused on improving their own game rather than worrying about other teams.team:mumbai indians (XI played): Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav (centre), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bose Bosch), Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar.Royal Challengers Bangalore (Play Eleven): Virat KohliJacob Bethell, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar