Mumbai Indians have made the decision to bench Trent Boult in their playing XI against Punjab Kings in IPL 2026. Team captain Hardik Pandya did not specifically mention Boult when announcing squad changes, suggesting this was a tactical adjustment. Boult, a former New Zealand international, has struggled this season, taking just one wicket in four matches, significantly below his usual performance levels.
As a result of his poor form, Boult was not included in the Impact Player Lists, as Mumbai is fielding three overseas players in this match. Corbin Bosch or AM Ghazanfar may be introduced later in the game depending on the pitch conditions.
Mumbai Indians have also made two additional changes to their lineup. Former captain Rohit Sharma is sidelined due to a hamstring injury, while Mitchell Santner is unwell. Quinton de Kock will open alongside Ryan Rickelton, while Mayank Rawat has been brought in to replace Santner.
On the opposing side, Punjab Kings have retained their original playing XI. Captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field first at the Wankhede Stadium. He explained that the dry pitch conditions would initially favor bowlers, but he anticipates improved batting conditions as dew settles later in the match.
“Looks a bit dry, but I interacted with a few of the players. They said that with the dew coming in, it gets better and better. So, based on that, I took that decision. We’re going with the same team,” Iyer stated.
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Cooper Connolly, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Mayank Rawat, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah.
