IPL 2026: Big blow for Mumbai Indians! TWO star all-rounders to miss MI vs KKR clash due to...
(Courtesy : BCCI)
Mumbai Indians will clash with KKR in their opening game of IPL 2026 on March 29.
Mumbai Indians (MI) will commence their journey in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Sunday, March 29, with the clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The encounter will take place at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Hardik Pandya will captain MI in IPL 2026, where they will aim for their record sixth title. Last season, they gave a brilliant performance and made it to the playoffs. However, they lost the Qualifier 2 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) and could not book a berth in the final.
Recently, Mumbai Indians got a big boost as their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah joined the squad ahead of the tournament. He arrived at the MI camp a little late as he checked in at BCCI’s CoE first to undergo a strength and conditioning test.
Moreover, Bumrah is also available for the opening game against KKR. However, Mumbai will miss the services of two crucial overseas players in the opening game.
Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks to miss MI’s opening game against KKR in IPL 2026
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner and England all-rounder Will Jacks will be unavailable for MI’s opening game against KKR on March 29 as they have asked for extended break. Santner was retained by MI for INR 2 crore, while Jacks was retained for INR 5.25 crore for IPL 2026.
“Will Jacks and Mitch (Santner) have asked for an extended break, so they will join the team pretty soon,” Jayawardene said during MI’s pre-match press conference on Saturday, March 28.
Santner was recently part of a five-match T20I series against South Africa in New Zealand, where he featured in the first three matches. He is yet to arrive in India and join the MI squad. Earlier this month, he led the Black Caps to the final of T20 World Cup 2026, where they lost the final against hosts India.
Jacks was a stand-out performer for England in the T20 World Cup. England reached the semi-final of the tournament, where they lost to Suryakumar Yadav & Co. by seven runs.
Have Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks joined MI squad for IPL 2026?
No, Santner and Jacks have not joined MI’s squad for IPL 2026.
When will Mumbai Indians play their opening game of IPL 2026?
MI will face Kolkata Knight Riders in their opening game of IPL 2026 on March 29 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.