The Mumbai Indians will be looking to get back to winning ways as they meet the Rajasthan Royals in Match 13 of the 2026 Indian Premier League. They broke
a 14-year streak of not winning their opening match when they took down the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium.
They followed this up with a loss to a strong Delhi Capitals side at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. They now head to the Barasapara Stadium in Guwahati to take on an in-form Royals side, who have won their opening two games.
Here is the best possible Playing XI for MI vs RR:
Top order: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tilak Varma
Rohit Sharma has found a new lease of life. His brilliant 78 off just 38 balls against the Knight Riders was a vintage display from the former India skipper. He scored 35 against the Delhi Capitals and is expected to continue setting the tone for MI. Ryan Rickelton started off his IPL 2026 campaign with a brilliant 81, putting up a massive 147-run stand alongside Rohit against the Knight Riders.
Tilak Varma has found recent success for the Indian team as a pace-hitter coming in at number 5. Playing at number 3 before that, his numbers had started to wane. He is back at one-drop for MI, but has not been able to make a significant impact, with scores of 20 and 0. Despite this, he is expected to continue.
Middle order: Suryakumar Yadav, Sherfane Rutherford, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir
The Mumbai middle-order will be bolstered by the return of Hardik Pandya, who missed the DC game through illness. Suryakumar Yadav would be glad with some runs under his belt, scoring 51 against the Capitals. Suryakumar was MI’s best batter in IPL 2025, scoring 717 runs as MI made the playoffs. His performances earned him the Most Valuable Player award, and he will be expected to perform similarly in 2026.
Sherfane Rutherford had a poor outing against the Delhi Capitals, but his prowess as a six-hitter is unquestioned. Naman Dhir, who has displayed strong boundary-hitting abilities as well, is expected to complete the middle order.
Lower order/bowlers: Mitchell Santner, Shardhul Thakur, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar (Impact player)
The return of Mitchell Santner added more firepower to the Mumbai Indians' bowling attack. He bowled his three overs against DC, giving away just 22 runs and picking up one wicket. Apart from Santner, Mumbai is expected to go pace-heavy due to conditions at Guwahati.
Shardhul Thakur was the Player of the Match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, picking up three wickets in his first game in blue. The pair also add much-needed firepower, lengthening the batting order.
Trent Boult is expected to return to the XI, with the conditions favouring swing bowling. Jasprit Bumrah has been at his economical best, conceding 35 and 21 against KKR and DC, respectively. He is yet to pick up a wicket in the tournament, though, and will be expected to open his account in 2026.
Deepak Chahar would be carded as the impact player, picking up the wicket of KL Rahul against the Delhi Capitals. His batting is an added plus, as he can be subbed in during a collapse as well.
Mumbai Indians Predicted playing XI vs Rajasthan Royals
Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Hardik Pandya (C), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Player: Deepak Chahar
