New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane Won the toss and decided to bowl first. Mumbai Indians in their crucial IPL 2026 clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.KKR remained unchanged from their previous game, while Mumbai got a big boost with their captain Hardik Pandya Returning to playing XI after not playing matches due to injury Surya Kumar Yadav also returned to the team. With 11 points from 12 matches, KKR need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, are already out of contention for a spot in the final four.“We want to bowl first. (They need two wins from two). Yes, absolutely. It’s as simple as that. We just want to focus on this game. We played very good cricket overall against GT. Like you said, we need to win two from two, but living in the moment, playing good cricket over 40 overs is really important,” Rahane said.Reflecting on KKR’s up-and-down campaign, Rahane added: “(The season seen) Yes, I think in the first half of the tournament, there were moments that we could have taken advantage of and things could have been different, but then again, no complaints, no regrets. The way we came back, the way we pulled things together, and there was a really confident atmosphere in the group room. It’s always about coming back and how well you can do for the team, but as I said, we need to play good cricket as a team.During the toss presentation, former India head coach Ravi Shastri asked Pandya if Mumbai Indians were just playing for pride now that they were out of the tournament.Responding to this, Pandya said: “We would have bowled first too. It seems like a track that is under cover, just wanted to see how it plays.”On MI’s approach to the rest of the game, Pandya said: “(Playing for pride) Absolutely. Whatever game you play, you want to win. You want to play your best cricket, put your best foot forward. At the same time, Mumbai Indians have a long history of winning titles. So just want to make sure we keep our heads up and make sure we represent Mumbai Indians to the best of our ability. (good record here) Yes, but that’s in the past. We still need to come out, play some good cricket and have fun. (Changes?) I’m back. Gaza is back and I think, yes, only two changes.Playing XI:Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickleton (W), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Surya Kumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya (C), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jaspreet Bumrah, Raghav SharmaKolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (w), Cameron Green, Ruman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Karthik Tyagi, Varun Chakraborty, Saurabh DubeyHere are the Impact Substitutes for both teams:Mumbai Indians Impact Subs: Shardul Thakur, Mayank Rawat, Robin Manns, Krish Bhagat, AM GhazanfarKolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Finn Allen, Vibhu Arora, Ramandeep Singh, Tejaswi Dahiya, Rahul Tripathi
