Mumbai, April 29 Mumbai Indians players wore black armbands during their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday as a mark of respect and solidarity following the untimely demise of the daughter of a member of their support staff.
"Dear All, due to the untimely demise of our support staff’s daughter, Mumbai Indians players will wear black arm bands today, in remembrance and solidarity with the family," the Mumbai Indians said in a statement.
Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bat. Senior batter and former captain Rohit Sharma remains out with a hamstring injury. They have made multiple changes, bringing in Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Robin Minz, and Trent Boult, while Quinton de Kock, Sherfane Rutherford, Shardul Thakur, and Krish Bhagat miss out.
Earlier, the Mumbai Indians signed Keshav Maharaj to replace the injured Mitchell Santner. Santner is out for IPL 2026 due to a shoulder injury. Maharaj has limited IPL experience, having played only two matches for the Rajasthan Royals in 2024. However, he has significant franchise experience and leadership skills. Earlier this year, he led Pretoria Capitals to the SA20 title.
"We will look to bat well and then see how much we can score. I think it was important for all of us to just reset, not get too complicated, just get a good couple of big evenings and also a good couple of sessions. We just ticked all the boxes, refreshed ourselves, and now we are excited for the game," said skipper Hardik Pandya at the toss.
Mumbai Indians face a big test against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Wankhede Stadium as their IPL 2026 campaign hangs in the balance. Mumbai have won just two of their seven games so far and are on the same points as bottom-ranked Lucknow Super Giants, having won just one of the last five games, and desperately need a change of fortunes to keep their playoff hopes alive.
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