MI vs RCB: Why are Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru Players wearing Black Armbands Today?

In the IPL 2026 match today (April 12) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Indians are locking horns against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a crucial encounter.

MI captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to field first at Wankhede, as the battle at the West Coast prepare for a massive clash.

RCB confirmed a change as Jacob Duffy has replaced Josh Hazlewood, whereas MI have also made a couple of changes, with Mayank Markande coming in as an extra spin option. As the Toss took place, the MI captain Hardik Pandya was seen wearing a Black Armband, which has a sad reason behind it.

MI vs RCB: Why are Players wearing Black Armbands?

The players are wearing Black Armbands as a tribute to legendary singer Asha Bhosle. The 92-year-old singer passed away on Sunday morning in Mumbai and a moment of silence was observed at the Wankhede in her memory. The two sets of players paid their respect to the voice that has a special place in the hearts of billions.

Even before the match, a popular Asha Bhosle track was also played, and we can expect a few more being played as the night progresses.

MI vs RCB Playing 11

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande

Impact Players: Sherfane Rutherford/Corbin Bosch/Ashwani Kumar/Raghu Sharma/Raj Bawa

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma

Impact Players: Rasikh Dar/Venkatesh Iyer/Jacob Bethell/Swapnil Singh/Mangesh Yadav