IPL 2026: Struggling MI host high-flying SRH at Wankhede
What's the story
Match 41 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will see Mumbai Indians (MI) take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The game is scheduled to be played on Wednesday. MI have struggled this season with only two wins from seven matches. On the other hand, SRH are third on the table with five wins from eight matches. Here we present the match preview.
Match conditions
Pitch report and other details
Wankhede Stadium is known for its batting-friendly pitch with small boundaries and a true surface. This makes it easier for batters to play their shots, resulting in high scores. However, bowlers have to maintain tight lines and consistent lengths as any lapse in discipline can be heavily punished by the batters. The match will begin at 7:30pm IST and will be broadcast on JioStar Network channels. It can also be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website.
Team line-ups
Here are the probable XIIs
MI (Predicted playing XII): Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Krish Bhagat, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar. SRH (Predicted playing XII): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora (wk), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga.
MI vs SRH
SRH to take field as favorites
Three of SRH's top-four batsmen this season, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Heinrich Klaasen, have already crossed the 300-run mark. On the other hand, MI's bowling attack has been underwhelming this season with Jasprit Bumrah failing to make an impact. MI's batting lineup has also been struggling with Rohit Sharma being out for a while. To make matters worse for the five-time champions, Pat Cummins's return has bolstered SRH's bowling attack even more.
H2H
A look at head-to-head record and pitch stats
As per ESPNcricinfo, the two sides have crossed swords 25 times in IPL history. Out of the previous encounters, MI have won 15 matches while SRH have managed to win only 10 times. At Wankhede, MI have claimed seven wins across nine matches against the Orange Army. Coming to their recent meetings, SRH have clinched just two of their last nine matches against the five-time champions.
Performers
Here are the key performers
SRH opener Abhishek Sharma has been on a roll as his 380 runs this season have come at a strike rate of 212.29. Quinton de Kock and Tilak Varma have already scored centuries for MI this season. With 14 wickets at 18.21, Eshan Malinga is SRH's leading wicket-taker in IPL 2026. MI spinner AM Ghazanfar has had a decent season so far (8 wickets at an economy of 8.61).
Poll
