Mumbai Indians will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, March 29. Both teams will target a winning start to their campaigns and stay ahead in the title race

Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians will have their familiar set of players available with some new additions. Jasprit Bumrah is also available for the game and is set to partner Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar in the pace attack.

However, spin all-rounders Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks will miss the opening match for the five-time champions as they asked for extended leave. The 20-year-old Afghan spinner Allah Ghazanfar is likely to make his IPL debut, with Naman Dhir offering spin support.

For Kolkata Knight Riders, the pace trio of Harshit Rana, Matheesha Pathirana, and Akash Deep is not available. The three-time IPL champions will look for more from their batting unit, especially their captain Ajinkya Rahane and all-rounder Cameron Green, who have experience of playing at Wankhede Stadium.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are without a win in their last 13 opening matches in the IPL and will look to change it at their home ground on Sunday. So, let's take a look at Wankhede's pitch ahead of the MI vs KKR match of the IPL 2026:

MI vs KKR Pitch Report: Wankhede Stadium

The surface at Wankhede Stadium offers a batting-friendly pitch with shorter boundaries. Pacers are likely to enjoy early swing due to humid conditions. Dew is very unlikely during the hot weather, so toss will not be a crucial factor in the MI vs KKR match.

In the last T20 match played here, India and England scorched up 499 runs across two innings in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal earlier this month. Batters are expected to dominate from the start to end once again and produce another high-scoring game on Sunday.

MI vs KKR Weather report

Mumbai's weather on Sunday, March 29, will not be a pleasant one for the players. There is an 'excessive heat' warning issued by the authorities, with maximum temperature soaring to 27 degrees Celsius during the match time. There is no forecast for rain during the match, but there will be 75% humidity in the air.

MI vs KKR head-to-head record

Mumbai Indians have not won their opening IPL game since 2013, but they comfortably lead the head-to-head battle with Kolkata Knight Riders. In 35 meetings between these two giants, MI have emerged winners 24 times and KKR have won the rest, 11 games.

In their last meeting at Wankhede Stadium last year, Ashwani Kumar picked up four wickets to bowl out KKR for 116 runs, and then Ryan Rickelton smashed an unbeaten fifty to lead Mumbai to a dominant eight-wicket win.

Also read: IPL 2026 MI vs KKR Match Prediction