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Peter Green - March 31, 2025
Kolkata Knight Riders secured their first win under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy, defeating Rajasthan Royals by 8 wickets with 15 balls to spare. Their next match is at Wankhede Stadium against Mumbai Indians, who are yet to win a game and are at the bottom of the table after two losses. Their most recent defeat was by 36 runs against Gujarat Titans.
The Indian Premier League rivalry between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders has been notably one-sided. Out of 32 encounters, MI has dominated with 23 victories, while KKR has secured 9 wins.
At Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, MI’s dominance is even more pronounced. In 10 matches at this venue, MI has triumphed 8 times, while KKR has secured two.
However, KKR ended a 12-year winless streak at Wankhede with a 24-run victory over MI on May 3, 2024. This victory not only broke their losing streak at this venue but also dealt a blow to MI’s playoff aspirations for the season.
Overall, while MI has historically held the upper hand in this rivalry, KKR’s recent victory at Wankhede indicates a potential shift in the trend.
Captain- Hardik Pandya
Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Robin Minz, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult
Impact Players- Satyanarayana Raju, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch
Captain- Ajinkya Rahane
Quinton de Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora
Impact Players- Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia
Hardik Pandya (MI): The Mumbai captain can turn a game around with both his batting and bowling. In his first IPL 2025 match against Gujarat, he took two wickets, including that of Gujarat’s captain, Shubman Gill. He also picked up two wickets in Mumbai’s most recent match against KKR at this venue.
Trent Boult (MI): Boult has played 10 matches against KKR and taken 13 wickets, with his best figures being 2/15. He leads Mumbai’s bowling attack, and his pace in the first six overs could be a real challenge for KKR.
Sunil Narine (KKR): One of the most reliable all-rounders in this match, Narine has troubled Mumbai’s top order in their last two meetings. His explosive batting in the first six overs also makes him a key player to watch.
Mumbai has dominated KKR historically but started IPL 2025 with two losses. In contrast, KKR responded to an opening defeat with an emphatic 8-wicket win over Rajasthan.
Mumbai’s batting lineup has not crossed 88 runs in the first 10 overs of any match this season. Their past performances against KKR also show a similar trend, as they failed to go beyond 88 runs in the last four meetings. Based on this, betting on Mumbai to score under 88.5 runs looks like a good option.
Mumbai’s opening partnership has been shaky, losing Rohit Sharma in the first over of both their matches this season. Since they struggle to keep their first wicket intact for at least three overs, backing KKR to have the higher score at first dismissal seems like a smart choice.
Hardik Pandya performed well in the last game against Gujarat, taking two wickets. While his batting form has been inconsistent, he has the potential to grab a couple of wickets, especially against KKR’s middle order, which lacks consistency.
