Mumbai Indians are set to face Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede for the first time in the IPL 2025. Mumbai Indians have yet to register their first win this season, losing the first two games against CSK and GT. This will be Mumbai’s first home game in the 2025 IPL, and Rohit and Co. would like to maintain their brilliant record in front of Kolkata. In the 34 games that MI and KKR played against each other since their inception, MI won 23 and KKR succeeded in just 11 matches. At Wankhede, Kolkata has a more discreditable record of 2-9.
For Mumbai, this might be the game to find a rhythm in the current season and kick off their campaign, actually. For the Hitman and co., the problem is with the batting lineup which hasn’t fired yet. However, without Bumrah, Mumbai’s bowling is also looking toothless. Senior players like skipper Hardik, Sharma, and SKY have to take responsibility as none of them has done much except for SKY’s innings against LSG in Ahmedabad.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders have won their last match against Rajasthan by 8 wickets, due to their impressive batting. So, KKR will be backing their in-form batting lineup on the batting-friendly wicket and short boundaries of Wankhede. But beating MI on their home ground has always been a boiling sea for KKR as they had lost 9 matches out of 11 they played at MI’s fortress. Besides, traditionally, MI has always been dominant on KKR, which is also a psychological disadvantage for KKR in this game.
However, KKR’s mentor, DJ Bravo, and captain Ajinkya Rahane will be full of hope as KKR won their last match at Wankhede against MI in 2024; their first win since 2012.
Pitch and conditions
This game between MI and KKR will be the first game played at Wankhede this IPL, and the humidity and pleasant sea breeze are expected from Marine Drive. While dew is not anticipated to play a significant role, teams might opt to bowl first as a precaution. With the short boundaries promising an exciting match and a crowd expected to fill the stands, spectators should prepare for some thrilling action.
Probable Playing 11
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, S Raju, Reece Topley
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana
