When the Mumbai Indians play the self-assured Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday in first IPL 2026 encounter in Guwahati, they will be hoping that captain Hardik Pandya has fully recovered. The Royals are eager to continue their early-season momentum.
Due to illness, Pandya, a vital member of the team, was unable to play in MI’s previous match, and his absence was critical to their six-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
MI missed Pandya’s all-around skills on a tacky surface, but India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav took over to lead and maintain continuity. Additionally, the combination had to be adjusted due to his absence. The decision to replace seasoned left-arm pacer Trent Boult with pace all-rounder Corbin Bosch backfired, as the South African leaked runs despite Deepak Chahar’s neat spell.
Since then, Pandya has returned to the nets and traveled with the team, providing optimism for a recovery as MI attempts to adjust their strategy following the defeat.
While the dependable Jasprit Bumrah has been economical but has not yet opened his account this season, Shardul Thakur, who excelled with the ball in their initial game, was pricey in their most recent match. Mitchell Santner, who is expected to keep his spot in the spin department, made a strong case for being chosen ahead of Afghan mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar.
However, the Rajasthan top order has been playing really well thus far, so the MI bowlers will need to step up. Teenage phenom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal both got off to blazing starts, and Dhruv Jurel built on the momentum.
Although he hasn’t yet made a big impact with the bat, new captain Riyan Parag will gain confidence from his leadership, especially after his late-game tactical choices that led the Royals to an exciting victory over Gujarat Titans.
Ravi Bishnoi and Tushar Deshpande have been outstanding bowlers. After a difficult 2025 season during which he worked on several parts of his game, Bishnoi has emerged as the joint leading wicket-taker with five wickets from two games.
In the last over against the Titans, Deshpande demonstrated his death-bowling prowess by successfully defending 10 runs while giving up just four thanks to a string of accurate yorkers. The outcome of the match may depend on how well MI’s bowlers manage the Royals’ potent top order, with Mumbai, presently sixth on the points table, looking to recover, and Rajasthan, in second place, riding a wave of confidence.
Rajasthan Royals Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (w/k), Riyan Parag (Captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Ravi Bishnoi, Sandeep Sharma
Mumbai Indians Probable XI: Ryan Rickelton (w/k), Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (Captain), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, A M Ghazanfar, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah
