Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 4: Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Mumbai Indians in place of Hardik Pandya, who is unavailable due to illness, in their IPL 2026 clash against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

After winning the toss, Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel chose to bowl first in what is the first afternoon match of the season for both sides. Both teams entered the game with momentum, having won their opening matches.

Mumbai Indians confirmed before the game that Hardik Pandya would miss the match due to illness, with Suryakumar stepping up as captain. The stand-in skipper, fresh from leading India to victory in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, expressed confidence despite the last-minute change.

Suryakumar also announced changes to the playing XI, with Deepak Chahar, Corbin Bosch, and Mitchell Santner coming in for Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult, and AM Ghazanfar. He noted that the toss was not a major factor, adding that the team was prepared to bat first if needed.

On the other side, Axar Patel confirmed that Delhi Capitals have retained their previous playing XI. He highlighted the team’s strong comeback in their last match, where they successfully chased a target after being 26/4 in the powerplay, boosting the squad’s confidence.

He also pointed out the advantage of playing at home, expecting strong support from local fans and expressing curiosity about how the pitch would behave, describing it as slightly dry and firm.

Playing XIs:
Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel (captain), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, and Mukesh Kumar

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, and Jasprit Bumrah

Both sides will look to build on their winning starts as the tournament gathers momentum.