IPL 2026: Why RCB, Mumbai Indians players are wearing black armbands - Explained

NEW DELHI: Fans were eagerly awaiting the mouth-watering IPL 2026 clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Apart from the high-profile contest, the spotlight was also on the much-anticipated face-off between batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, known for their long-standing friendship.

When the teams took the field, players from both sides were seen wearing black armbands.

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya walked out for the toss wearing a black armband and won it, opting to field against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

"We’re going to bowl first. Looks like a good track. We played the first game on the other pitch, this looks similar. It’s always good to bat second here. I think it’s a big game. Just want to come out and play our best cricket, do the things we’ve spoken about in the meetings, and just enjoy the sport. We requested good wickets and we’ve been getting them. As long as you land the ball right as a bowler and play the right shots as a batter, you’re in the game," Pandya said during the toss.

"Over the years at Wankhede, chasing has worked for a lot of teams. Being our home ground, dew comes in later as well. So it’s good to know what you’re chasing, you can plan your innings accordingly. Mayank Markande and Mitchell Santner come in for Chahar and Ghazanfar," he said.

RCB made one change to their Playing XI. They included Jacob Duffy in place of Josh Hazlewood.

"Obviously would have bowled first. But as you all know, it’s a good batting track. The ball comes nicely onto the bat with good bounce. So honestly, it won’t make too much difference. We’ll try to put a good total on the board and keep them under pressure. This is our fourth game. The way we’ve played the last few matches, there are a lot of positives," RCB captain Rajat Patidar said.

"In the last match, we were 97 for 6 and still managed to score over 200. That’s a positive sign for us. We enjoy it a lot here. Whenever we come, we see great crowds. It’s challenging, but at the same time, fun and exciting. Just one change, Duffy comes in place of Hazlewood," he said.

Why were RCB and MI players wearing black armbands?

Both teams wore black armbands as a mark of respect following the passing of legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle, who died at the age of 92 on Sunday. Players also observed a moment of silence in her memory before the start of the match.

Coming into the fixture, both sides were looking to bounce back after setbacks against Rajasthan Royals, where they were outplayed by 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Mumbai Indians were aiming to arrest a two-match losing streak, while defending champions RCB were keen to return to winning ways after being outclassed in their previous outing.

Historically, in IPL clashes between the two sides, Virat Kohli has enjoyed the upper hand. The RCB star has scored 922 runs in 34 matches (33 innings) against Mumbai Indians at an average of 31.79 and a strike rate of 128.77, including six half-centuries.

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Rohit Sharma, who has also faced Kohli during his stint with the Deccan Chargers, has represented Mumbai Indians in 26 matches against RCB, scoring 629 runs in 25 innings at an average of 27.34 and a strike rate of over 142, with four fifties and a highest score of 94.