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Kolkata Knight Riders, needing a win to stay in IPL 2026 playoff contention, opted to bowl first against Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane expressed the team's focus on winning their remaining two games. Mumbai, already out of the running, welcomed back Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, aiming to finish strongly.
NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl first against Mumbai Indians in their crucial IPL 2026 clash at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday. KKR went unchanged from their previous game, while Mumbai received a major boost with skipper Hardik Pandya returning to the playing XI after missing matches due to injury. Suryakumar Yadav also returned to the side.
With 11 points from 12 matches, KKR need a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, are already out of contention for a place in the final four. “We are looking to bowl first.
(They need two wins out of two) Yes, absolutely. It's as simple as that. We just want to focus on this game.
We played really good cricket overall last game against GT. As you've mentioned, we need to win two out of two, but staying in the moment, playing good cricket over the course of 40 overs, it's really important,” Rahane said at the toss. Reflecting on KKR’s up-and-down campaign, Rahane added: “(See-saw season) Yeah, I think the first half of the tournament, there were moments that we could have capitalized and the things could have been different, but again, no complaints, no regrets.