'Playing for pride?' Pandya's response to Shastri during toss goes viral

NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the flip and opted to vessel archetypal against Mumbai Indians successful their important IPL 2026 clash astatine Eden Gardens successful Kolkata connected Wednesday.KKR went unchanged from their erstwhile game, portion Mumbai received a large boost with skipper Hardik Pandya returning to the playing XI aft missing matches owed to injury.

Suryakumar Yadav besides returned to the side.

With 11 points from 12 matches, KKR request a triumph to support their playoff hopes alive. Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, are already retired of contention for a spot successful the last four.“We are looking to vessel first. (They request 2 wins retired of two) Yes, absolutely. It's arsenic elemental arsenic that. We conscionable privation to absorption connected this game. We played truly bully cricket wide past crippled against GT. As you've mentioned, we request to triumph 2 retired of two, but staying successful the moment, playing bully cricket implicit the people of 40 overs, it's truly important,” Rahane said astatine the toss.Reflecting connected KKR’s up-and-down campaign, Rahane added: “(See-saw season) Yeah, I deliberation the archetypal fractional of the tournament, determination were moments that we could person capitalized and the things could person been different, but again, nary complaints, nary regrets. The mode we came back, the mode we pulled disconnected things, and the assurance amongst the radical was amazing. The ambiance successful the dressing country was truly good. It's ever astir the comeback.

It's ever astir being successful the infinitesimal and however tin you travel back, however tin you bash good for the team. And guys person been fantastic. (About the pitch) It's frankly pugnacious to work the wicket, but arsenic I said, we request to play bully cricket passim 40 overs, and past spot what happens. We are going with the aforesaid team.”

During the flip presentation, erstwhile India caput manager Ravi Shastri asked Pandya whether Mumbai Indians were present playing lone for pridefulness aft being knocked retired of the tournament.Responding to that, Pandya said: “We would person bowled archetypal arsenic well. Looks similar a way which has been nether the covers. Just wanted to spot however precisely it plays out.”On MI’s attack for the remaining games, Pandya said: “(Playing for pride) Absolutely. Every crippled you play, you privation to win. You privation to play your champion cricket, enactment the champion ft forward. At the aforesaid constituent of time, Mumbai Indians person a agelong past of winning titles.

So conscionable privation to marque definite that we support the caput precocious and marque definite that we correspond Mumbai Indians successful the champion capacity. (Good grounds here) Yes, but that's successful the past.

We inactive request to crook up, play immoderate bully cricket and enjoy. (Changes?) I'm back. Gaza is backmost and I think, yeah, conscionable 2 changes.”Playing XIs:Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghu SharmaKolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh DubeyHere are the Impact substitutes for some the teams:Mumbai Indians Impact Subs: Shardul Thakur, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, AM GhazanfarKolkata Knight Riders Impact subs: Finn Allen, Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rahul Tripathi