Mumbai Indians (MI) made history in their opening match of the IPL 2026 season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after winning the toss and opting to bowl. The Hardik Pandya-led side officially became the first-ever T20 franchise to play 300 matches.
Mumbai Indians complete 300 T20 matches
Overall, the Paltans are only the third team across international, franchise, and domestic cricket to reach this towering milestone, joining Pakistan and the English county side Somerset in this elite club. Both Pakistan and Somerset currently sit just ahead with 303 matches played each.
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Among other IPL franchises, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru follow MI with 287 matches, while the Kolkata Knight Riders hold the third spot with 281. Mumbai's remarkable tally is built on 277 IPL matches played over 18 seasons, alongside 22 appearances across five seasons in the now-defunct Champions League T20 tournament.
MI's dominance has yielded five IPL titles, captured in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, making them the joint-most successful team in the tournament's history alongside the Chennai Super Kings.
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MI look to break IPL opener curse
Despite their historical pedigree, a victory in the campaign opener has consistently eluded the team. Mumbai Indians last won their opening game of an IPL season back in 2012 when they defeated CSK by eight wickets. In their last 18 season openers, they have managed just four wins while falling to 14 defeats, a streak that ironically mirrors their very first IPL match in 2008, which they lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Mumbai Indians' Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, AM Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Kolkata Knight Riders' Playing XI:
Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani