W.A.N.K.H.E.D.E - the castle of dreams, the Mecca of Indian cricket, one of the greatest amphitheaters of sport, a symbol of salvation and worship for Mumbai cricket - we are back. Come April 1, 2024, THE MUMBAI INDIANS ARE COMING HOME.

And do you know? It’s exactly 50 years since the Wankhede stood on its feet for the first time. Countless generations of avid cricket fans from every inch and corner of the beautiful city of Mumbai have witnessed how the teams - be it India, Mumbai or the Mumbai Indians - curate cricket matches with entertainment, angst, anticipation and mystery in this grand colosseum and let it bleed BLUE all the way through.

Come Monday, we cannot wait to see the Paltan serenade and populate the Sunil Gavaskar Stand, the North Stand, the Vijay Merchant Stand, the Sachin Tendulkar Stand, the MCA Stand, the Vitthal Divecha Stand, the Garware Stand, and the Grand Stand with Blue and Gold posters, flags, people dressed in team/fan jerseys and sing in unison the MI anthem. The Wankhede tonic is exactly what we need to climb on the winning horse! 

What does the stat guru say?

In summary, MI has played 78 IPL matches at the Wankhede Stadium, winning 49 of them. 

Note: MI won the tied match via a one-over eliminator

Who are our opponents in our first home game of IPL 2024?

It’s the Rajasthan Royals - a team we have loved as opponents. The MIvRR rivalry is 27 games old, with the Blue and Gold holding the advantage of 15 wins. Rajasthan registered 12 wins, while one meeting between the sides was abandoned without a ball bowled.

Speaking of past matchups at Wankhede, this fixture has always given us nail-biting moments that have been classics forevermore - THAT Aditya Tare six that helped us miraculously qualify for the IPL 2014 playoffs, Shreyas Gopal’s late uprising in their 2019 meeting and Tim David’s blitzkrieg 14-ball 45 that elevated MI to their highest successful chase (214) in the 1000th game of the IPL.

Mumbai Indians have the upper hand in the MI vs RR in IPL at Wankhede record (five wins in eight games). After a slight blip in the start to Mission 2024, the MUM-boys will look to take inspiration from the Wankhede Stadium and get off the mark in style, with command, and in a way that befits the tagline — DUNIYA HILA DENGE.