The upcoming edition of the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/indian-cricket-star-virat-kohli-picks-his-all-time-rcb-xi-23621054" rel="nofollow">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) is all set to begin from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections.
Ahead of the cash-rich league, former Team India cricketer Harbhajan Singh feels that Mumbai Indians' skipper Hardik Pandya should bring his A game, which in turn will make a huge difference for the franchise.
"I think Hardik Pandya needs to unleash his real <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/photo/ipl-2026-hardik-pandya-set-to-complete-2000-runs-for-mumbai-indians-110072/1" rel="nofollow">Hardik Pandya</a> version. He needs to bring his A game to the table. Once he starts playing his A game, not just as a batter but as a bowler as well, it will make a huge difference," he said.
The former cricketer also feels Hardik bowled well in the concluded T20 World Cup 2026. He then said that if Hardik and his men start the campaign with an aim of lifting the showpiece, things would change for the Mumbai-based franchise.
"We saw him bowl in the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/suryakumar-yadav-opens-up-on-ishan-kishan-selection-for-t20-world-cup-2026-23621059" rel="nofollow">T20 World Cup</a>. He was brilliant with the ball. That is what he needs to do in the IPL as well. When a captain leads from the front and shows the way, everyone follows. It will come down to belief. If Hardik and his men believe from day one that they are not just there to compete, but to lift the trophy for the sixth time, things can change very quickly for MI," said Harbhajan.
Mumbai Indians (MI) will begin their campaign by playing a clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
<h2>IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Full Squads</h2>
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.
(With PTI Inputs)

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