KKR vs MI IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians will be boosted by the return of their regular skipper Hardik Pandya and batter Suryakumar Yadav for match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
Updated: May 20, 2026 1:50 PM IST
KKR vs MI IPL 2026: In what is a must-win clash for the Kolkata Knight Riders, their opponents Mumbai Indians have received a big boost ahead of their clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday. After missing their skipper Hardik Pandya as well as stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav in their last IPL 2026 match in Dharamshala, MI will be pleased by the return of both these stalwarts for Wednesday night’s clash.
It is the penultimate match of the season for the five-time winners MI, who are already out of the race to reach the Playoffs after winning only 4 matches out o 12 this year. They are currently in 9th place, just ahead of Lucknow Super Giants on basis of their Net Run Rate.
MI captain Hardik Pandya was suffering from back spasms and was missing from the side’s last two matches this season against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur and against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala. Suryakumar Yadav also missed the last game against PBKS to be with his family after the birth of his child.
“Everybody practised and joined the team,” MI batter Naman Dhir said in the pre-match press conference in Eden Gardens about Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.
Also Read | WATCH: LSG captain Rishabh Pant ABUSES in post-match presentation after loss to RR, drops the ‘F-bomb’ with…
It will be interesting to see if former MI captain Rohit Sharma will be playing the full game or as an ‘Impact Player’. The BCCI are keeping a close eye on Rohit’s fitness ahead of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan starting in Dharamshala on June 13.
Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, dealt with their fair share of injuries. Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana had been bought for Rs 18 crore in the IPL 2026 mini auction last year but only joined the squad late last Month. But the fast bowler injured himself midway through his second over.
KKR all-rounder Anukul Roy revealed that Pathirana’s availability was still being assessed on the eve of the match. If Pathirana is not available to play then Zimbabwean pacer Blessing Muzarabani is expected to return to the side.
“We’re going to try everything in our power to make sure that the kids go back smiling and happy.”
Rohit Sharma speaks about the importance of education and the joy of experiencing cricket from a stadium, ahead of @ril_foundation #ESAMatchDay on May 24 #MumbaiIndians… pic.twitter.com/Jl8fdFAAKq
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 20, 2026
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 match no 65 Predicted 12
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy, Saurabh Dubey, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghu Sharma, AM Ghazanfar
