As the Indian Premier League (IPL) gears up to kick off on March 28, only the initial 20 match schedules have been revealed due to ongoing state elections. In anticipation of this lucrative tournament, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has voiced his expectations for Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya, urging him to deliver his best performance, which could significantly impact the team’s success.
“Hardik Pandya must tap into his true potential and bring his A game. It’s crucial for him to excel not only as a batsman but also as a bowler, as this will greatly benefit the franchise,” Harbhajan stated.
Reflecting on Hardik’s impressive bowling during the recent T20 World Cup 2026, he emphasized the importance of starting the IPL campaign with a championship mindset. “If Hardik and his team approach the tournament with the ambition of securing their sixth title, the dynamics for the Mumbai Indians can shift rapidly. A captain who leads by example inspires everyone around him. It’s all about confidence,” he added.
The Mumbai Indians will kick off their season with a match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 29 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
IPL 2026 Team Lineups:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Trent Boult, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock (WK), Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Corbin Bosch, Hardik Pandya (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Mayank Markande, Sherfane Rutherford, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, Tilak Varma, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (WK), Allah Ghazanfar, Naman Dhir, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Tejasvi Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Ramandeep Singh, Blessing Muzarabani, Vaibhav Arora, Mateesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Umran Malik, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy.