IPL 2026: MI win toss, opt to bowl vs RR in 11-over Guwahati clash

Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals in a rain-hit IPL 2026 match in Guwahati. The game has been reduced to 11 overs per side, with MI captain Hardik Pandya and Trent Boult returning to the lineup.

MI win toss, opt to bowl in rain-shortened game

Mumbai Indians (MI) won the toss and opted to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 13th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, on Tuesday at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. The RR vs MI game has been reduced to 11 overs per side due to rain, with the powerplay set at 3.2 overs.

Pandya on bowling first and early season form

Hardik Pandya said MI chose to bowl first due to the rain-affected conditions, adding that it's early in the season with room for improvement, and confirmed the return of himself and Trent Boult to the lineup. "We are going to bowl first. It has been under covers, in rain-effected games you should bat second. It just gives you a clear idea what total should be. (Is it because there's been rain and there will be more rain and it's a truncated game that he opted to bowl?) Yes, that has been always the back of the mind," Pandya said at the toss presentations.

Speaking about MI's loss in their previous match, Pandya said that it's still early in the tournament and that mistakes are expected. He said that the team is focused on improving and executing their plans moving forward. "I feel it's just the start of the season. We are bound to make mistakes and there are always going to be some very long tournaments. You don't win the IPL in the first couple of weeks and at the same point of time, you don't lose it as well. So, yes, we just spoke about in the group what better things we needed to do. And now, you know, it's just a quick turnaround, so just want to focus on this game and see how we can execute the plans which we have decided," Pandya said.

Team Momentum

Rajasthan Royals have begun their campaign strongly by winning both their IPL 2026 matches and will aim to carry that momentum into their third game as well. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians opened their campaign on a high with a win over the Kolkata Knight Riders, but then faced a defeat against the Delhi Capitals in their second match. They will be keen to win in their third match and get their momentum back on track.

RR vs MI Playing XIs

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma. Rajasthan Royals Impact subs - Ravi Singh, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Shubham Dubey. Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, AM Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah. Mumbai Indians Impact subs - Sherfane Rutherford, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)