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. The way we came back, the way we pulled off things, and the confidence amongst the group was amazing. The atmosphere in the dressing room was really good. It’s always about the comeback. It’s always about being in the moment and how can you come back, how can you do well for the team. And guys have been fantastic. (About the pitch) It’s frankly tough to read the wicket, but as I said, we need to play good cricket throughout 40 overs, and then see what happens. We are going with the same team.”During the toss presentation, former India head coach Ravi Shastri asked Pandya whether Mumbai Indians were now playing only for pride after being knocked out of the tournament.Responding to that, Pandya said: “We would have bowled first as well. Looks like a track which has been under the covers. Just wanted to see how exactly it plays out.”On MI’s approach for the remaining games, Pandya said: “(Playing for pride) Absolutely. Every game you play, you want to win. You want to play your best cricket, put the best foot forward. At the same point of time, Mumbai Indians have a long history of winning titles. So just want to make sure that we keep the head high and make sure that we represent Mumbai Indians in the best capacity. (Good record here) Yes, but that’s in the past. We still need to turn up, play some good cricket and enjoy. (Changes?) I’m back. Gaza is back and I think, yeah, just two changes.”Playing XIs:Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghu SharmaKolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh DubeyHere are the Impact substitutes for both the teams:Mumbai Indians Impact Subs: Shardul Thakur, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, AM GhazanfarKolkata Knight Riders Impact subs: Finn Allen, Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rahul Tripathi
