Mumbai : Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 41st match of the IPL season 2026 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Wednesday, 29th April at 7:30 PM. MI will be coming from their latest match, a 103-run defeat to Chennai Super Kings, which was their heaviest loss in IPL history and underlined their ongoing struggles. Meanwhile, SRH are coming in strong and full of confidence, while there is still uncertainty surrounding Rohit Sharma’s availability for today’s match.
MI have had a disappointing season so far, with 7 matches played and only 2 wins. They are currently holding the 9th position on the table with 4 points. In their 3 home matches, they have managed to win only one, and now they are preparing for their 4th home game. At this stage of the league, MI are struggling badly with consistency in the team. In the bowling department, they are leaking runs and are unable to take wickets at crucial moments. The batting unit has also suffered from frequent collapses. The openers have been unable to score heavily in the absence of Rohit Sharma. Quinton de Kock has come into his position, although he did score a century in the first match of the season, after which his contributions have not been significant. In the middle order, Suryakumar Yadav has tried to score but has been out of form. Tilak Varma returned to form with a century against GT, but did not contribute much in the last match. Skipper Hardik Pandya also looks out of form and has not contributed significantly with either bat or ball.
In this situation, MI have suffered another setback with the injury of Mitchell Santner, leading to the signing of South African spinner Keshav Maharaj as his replacement. Santner has been ruled out of IPL 2026 due to a left shoulder injury. He sustained the injury during MI’s last home game against Chennai Super Kings while attempting a catch near the boundary.
Rohit Sharma remains a doubt after missing the last three matches due to a hamstring injury. He has resumed training and is progressing well, but there is no official confirmation from the franchise regarding his fitness or return. He may play today’s match, but it is not officially confirmed, and the final decision will be taken on match time. His return would significantly boost the team. MI have a history of bouncing back strongly from difficult situations. They still have 7 matches remaining, including today’s match. If they improve their performance and find rhythm, they still have a chance to make a strong comeback in the league.
On the other hand, SRH come with a different story. After losing three of their first four matches, they have surged back with four consecutive wins and now look strong and well-settled. They are currently placed 4th on the table with 10 points. They possess a powerful batting lineup, including openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, while the middle order is handled by Ishan Kishan—who will be playing today against his former team—and Heinrich Klaasen along with Nitish Kumar Reddy. Their bowling attack has also been strengthened with the return of Pat Cummins, while the depth of the bowling unit has improved with Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, and Praful Hinge. In their last match, they successfully chased down 228 against Rajasthan Royals.
In the IPL, the two teams have played a total of 25 matches so far. Out of these encounters, Mumbai Indians have won 15 matches, while Sunrisers Hyderabad have secured 10 victories.
MI Squad: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Sherfane Rutherford, Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock, Danish Malewar, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Rawat, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Mayank Markande, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Raghu Sharma, Mohammad Izhar, Allah Ghazanfar, Jasprit Bumrah.
MI Predicted Playing XI: Rohit Sharma/Danish Malewar, Quinton de Kock (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Sherfane Rutherford, Will Jacks/Keshav Maharaj, Krish Bhagat, Ashwani Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Player: M. Ghazanfar
SRH Squad: Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Harshal Patel, Liam Livingstone, Pat Cummins (capt), Jaydev Unadkat, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Kamindu Mendis, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivam Kumar, Krains Fuletra, David Payne, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi.
SRH Predicted XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (capt), Shivam Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Praful Hinge/Harsh Dubey
Impact Player: Sakib Hussain
Weather in Mumbai is expected to be hot and humid, with evening temperatures around 29–31°C and a feels like temperature of 33–35°C due to high humidity. The sky should remain mostly clear or slightly hazy, and there is virtually no chance of rain, ensuring a full uninterrupted match. As the game progresses into the night, a light sea breeze may bring slight relief, but humidity will remain high. Dew is also expected later in the evening, which may make the ball slippery and could benefit the chasing team. The pitch at Wankhede Stadium is expected to be flat and batting-friendly, offering good pace and bounce early on, allowing stroke play and high scoring. Fast bowlers may get slight swing in the initial overs due to the sea breeze, but overall conditions favor batters. As the match progresses, dew in the second innings may make bowling difficult, further assisting chasing teams. Spinners are expected to get minimal assistance under lights, making it a high-scoring venue. Overall, this clash between MI and SRH is expected to be highly interesting—whether MI can bounce back in the league or SRH can maintain their strong position in the top 4 of the table.
