Mumbai Indians (MI) have finally broken their jinx. From 2013, MI never won their first game of their IPL campaigns. But IPL 2026 has finally brought them a light. In their opening IPL 2026 game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), MI were rampant. While the bowling leaked runs, the batting was dominant, scripting their first win by six wickets.
Now, the Mumbai Indians enter the national capital, New Delhi, in what will be the first afternoon game of the season against the Delhi Capitals (DC). DC themselves enter this game on the back of a win, beating the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in a tricky chase. It will be a fascinating affair since the small boundaries at Arun Jaitley Stadium will provide quite a bit of entertainment for fans. But before that, we take a look at how MI could line up in their second IPL 2026 game against DC.
Rohit Sharma and co with settled batting
The batting unit for Mumbai is pretty much sorted. Rohit Sharma is a no-brainer again. He is leaner, fitter and will be raring to go in his 19th consecutive season. In the last game, Rohit rolled back the clock and hammered 78 off just 38 balls, smoking at 205.26. Against DC, he has 1057 runs at 31.09, and would love to add a few more to his tally.
Meanwhile, the troika of Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya will be enjoying their time after getting rid of the burden of playing the T20 World Cup 2026. They will be free and ultra-aggressive in their approach just as we saw against KKR as well. The only thing to look forward to would be the batting position of Tilak, who did well as a finisher for India but generally plays ahead for MI.
Meanwhile, as Rohit’s opening partner, Mumbai chose Ryan Rickelton over Quinton de Kock. It was a sensible decision, as Rickelton pipped De Kock in the fact that he had a better T20 World Cup, scoring 228 runs at 32.57 and an SR of 170.15. Meanwhile, De Kock’s tally saw him score 181 runs at 22.63 and SR of 135.07. Against KKR, Rickelton showed why MI trusted him as he top-scored (81) for MI at Wankhede Stadium.
A familiar face joins the squad, and the boys get a lay of the land at Arun Jaitley Stadium in today's #MIDaily! pic.twitter.com/MuUH4ujqhd
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 3, 2026Will Mitchell Santner play in MI vs DC clash?
Meanwhile, to further lengthen the batting, MI have been bolstered by the arrival of Mitchell Santner. He and Will Jacks missed the opening game as both asked for an extended break after a tiring T20 World Cup. However, Santner has joined the team in Delhi and is touted to feature in the lineup.
MI played both Sherfane Rutherford and Allah Ghazanfar against Kolkata. Against Delhi, one of them will make way for Santner. Ideally, it should be Ghazanfar, who had a poor outing against KKR, leaking 51 runs. In Santner, MI will have his bankable four overs of spin. Also, Santner’s batting numbers have been superb in recent times as well. In T20Is since 2025, Santner has averaged 36.09 and at a strike rate of 155.68. These are exceptional numbers for a number eight. For New Zealand, he bats up the order.
In Rutherford, MI have a role fulfilled what Kieron Pollard used to do. Since 15 Dec 2025, Rutherford has been on an incredible run, having scored 683 runs at an average of 56.91 and at an outstanding strike rate of 164.57 across T20s. If Jacks had been there, MI would have gone with him, considering he was one of the best players at the T20 World Cup. But now, Rutherford’s place is not in danger and he can provide that oomph in the MI batting unit.
Pace vs Spin Bowling Stats at Arun Jaitley Stadium
MetricPace BowlersSpin BowlersWickets12694Innings3838Balls Bowled25901858Runs Conceded44422759Average35.2529.35Economy Rate10.298.90Batting Strike Rate163.3144.09Since IPL 2023Bumrah to lead MI bowling again
MI made an interesting call to play Shardul Thakur over Deepak Chahar in the last game. To his credit, Thakur made an impact and won the Player of the Match for his 3/39. All three of KKR’s top-order batters were Thakur’s victims. Now, MI will stick to the same bowling combination, with Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah working in the middle-overs.
Meanwhile, Trent Boult and Hardik Pandya will be the new-ball bowlers, going up against the likes of KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka. As another spin option, Mayank Markande would continue. He didn’t have a great game against KKR but MI would stick with him, considering spinners generally do well in the middle overs in Delhi.
Strongest Mumbai Indians Playing XII vs KKR
S. No.Player1Rohit Sharma2Ryan Rickelton (wk)3Suryakumar Yadav4Tilak Varma5Naman Dhir6Hardik Pandya (C)7Sherfane Rutherford 8Mitchell Santner 9Shardul Thakur10Mayank Markande11Trent Boult 12 (Impact Sub)Jasprit BumrahFull Mumbai Indians (MI) squad for IPL 2026
Allah Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande (traded), Mitchell Santner, Naman Dhir, Raghu Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Robin Minz, Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Shardul Thakur (traded), Sherfane Rutherford (traded), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Trent Boult, Will Jacks, Danish Malewar (INR 30 lakh), Quinton de Kock (INR 1 Cr), Atharva Ankolekar (INR 30 lakh), Mayank Rawat (INR 30 lakh), Mohammad Izhar (INR 30 lakh)
Predicted Mumbai Indians Playing XI vs DC: Who will Mitchell Santner replace under Hardik Pandya? Inside Sport India.
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