Why Mitchell Santner not playing in RR vs MI?

Published - 07 Apr 2026, 18:55 IST | Updated - 07 Apr 2026, 22:06 IST

Rajasthan Royals (RR) are set to take on Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match No. 13 of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. RR have made a strong start to their campaign, currently sitting third on the points table with two wins. Meanwhile, MI are placed sixth, having registered one win from their first two matches.

Hardik Pandya, captain of MI, won the toss and opted to bowl first. He mentioned that rain had an impact on conditions and felt it was better to bowl early, adding that teams are bound to make mistakes in the initial phase of the tournament. Riyan Parag, leading RR, said the pitch was expected to be dry, but the rain changed things. He added that he was happy with how the team handled the situation.

Mumbai Indians made two changes, considering the match was reduced to 11 overs due to rain. Hardik Pandya returned to the XI after missing the previous game due to illness, while Trent Boult also came into the side. With Boult’s inclusion, Mitchell Santner missed out, and AM Ghazanfar was included as the specialist spinner. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals went into the game unchanged.

We would have done the same thing actually. It was supposed to be a little dry, but then it rained a lot, so there's a little bit of moisture. It shouldn't play that much [of a role] due to the 11-over game, but it is what it is. (How pleased are you with the start?) I think very pleased. We've had two different types of games here. One that really challenged us and one that kept us on top from start to finish. But really happy with how the boys handled it under pressure, and hope we put the same result today. Same team.

We are going to bowl first. It has been under covers, in rain-effected games you should bat second. It just gives you a clear idea what total should be. (Is it because there's been rain and there will be more rain and it's a truncated game that he opted to bowl?) Yes, that has been always the back of the mind. (How do you treat the loss from the previous game?) I feel it's just the start of the season. We are bound to make mistakes and there are always going to be some very long tournaments. You don't win the IPL in the first couple of weeks and at the same point of time, you don't lose it as well. So, yes, we just spoke about in the group what better things we needed to do. And now, you know, it's just a quick turnaround, so just want to focus on this game and see how we can execute the plans which we have decided. (Team changes) I come back and Boulty is back.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma

Impact Players: Ravi Bishnoi, Ravi Singh, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Brijesh Sharma, Shubham Dubey

Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, AM Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

Impact Players: Sherfane Rutherford, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar