In a season where home advantage has become a hot topic, the struggling Mumbai Indians are hoping to secure their first win of IPL 2025 during their opening home match at Wankhede Stadium against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders tonight (March 31).
MI’s difficulties seem to be a continuation from last season, and they’ve started this campaign with two losses, having fallen short against the Gujarat Titans on Friday.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Having begun the season with a 0-2 record, MI, traditionally slow starters, need to regroup quickly to avoid a disastrous start to the tournament. Compounding their troubles, captain Hardik Pandya was fined Rs 12 lakhs for a slow over-rate against the Titans, having already been suspended from the first match of IPL 2024 for a similar infraction. He needs to be cautious going forward.
The absence of the world’s No. 1 fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, due to injury adds to MI’s challenges. Additionally, former captain Rohit Sharma’s performance continues to disappoint; he has failed to live up to expectations, scoring in the single digits for six of his last nine IPL innings. In Friday’s game, he recorded his second consecutive low score, making just eight runs and suffering yet another dismissal due to a remarkable inswinger from Mohammed Siraj.
On the flip side, KKR will boost their lineup with the return of star spinner and explosive opener Sunil Narine, who missed the last match due to illness.
Narine was seen training with the team at Wankhede Stadium on Friday, which bodes well for the visitors. Moreover, under the leadership of head coach Chandrakant Pandit and captain Ajinkya Rahane, KKR is well-acquainted with the conditions in Mumbai.
After an impressive eight-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in their last game, propelled by Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 97, KKR will look to carry that momentum forward. A recent controversy involving pitch preferences at Eden Gardens adds intrigue, but they are likely focused on getting the win.
Pitch report for MI vs KKR
Wankhede Stadium will host its first match of IPL 2025 tonight. Last season, four of the seven matches at this venue were won by teams batting first. 188 was the average first innings total in IPL 2024 while 234 was the highest score (MI vs DC). Another good pitch is expected and the team winning the toss may bowl first.
MI vs KKR Dream11 Team Prediction
Mumbai Indians probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Vignesh Puthur
Impact player: Satyanarayana Raju
Kolkata Knight Riders probable XI: Quinton de Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact player: Angkrish Raghuvanshi
MI vs KKR squads, IPL match Today
Mumbai Indians Squad: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Satyanarayana Raju, Robin Minz, Will Jacks, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Vignesh Puthur, Karn Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Reece Topley, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Krishnan Shrijith
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Anrich Nortje, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell, Mayank Markande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Chetan Sakariya
MI vs KKR Head-to-Head Record
MI and KKR have met 34 times in IPL history. Out of the 34 matches, KKR have won 11 and MI the other 23. KKR won both the matches between these two teams last season. In fact, KKR have won four of the last five.
MI vs KKR IPL 2025, Mumbai weather prediction
Weather forecasts indicate possible rain, leading fans to hope for favourable conditions for this exciting matchup.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.