MI have a sound record at home over the last three seasons © IPL Two consecutive losses upfront for Mumbai Indians, what’s new about that anyway, you’d think? They’ve had worse starts in the past and still gone on to win the IPL title. Skipper Hardik Pandya and coach Mahela Jayawardene have bigger concerns than just two early reversals. “MI have more questions than answers,” says Mike Hesson in his preview of their upcoming clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, March 31. As the five-time champions return to their bastion, the Wankhede, they are met with several concerns. To begin with, their team selection has been far from ideal. In an inexplicably puzzling selection call, they left out Vignesh Puthur from the XI for the second game in Ahmedabad, despite his impactful three-wicket burst at Chepauk that had injected life into their season opener against CSK. “Horses for the courses,” was the unconvincing explanation. Secondly, Hardik’s decision to bat lower than rookie Robin Minz against Gujarat Titans on Sunday night defied logic. Third, their key pacers – Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar – are struggling to make an impact in the PowerPlay which is surprising for two of the league’s most successful new ball bowlers. With the ball not swinging much, they have managed poor figures of one for 94 in nine PowerPlay overs across two games. The continued absence of Jasprit Bumrah, along with the uncertainty surrounding his return, is another major worry for MI. And then there’s Rohit Sharma whom MI badly need to step up before their campaign slips out of control. At the Wankhede, he will have the perfect stage to lead the team’s revival. Kolkata Knight Riders have had a mixed bag so far but they will be enthused by the recent record against MI. The defending champions have won five of the last six matches between the sides since the start of the UAE leg of IPL 2021. What is more, they beat MI at the Wankhede last season, ending a 12-year winless streak at the venue. Coming off a convincing win against Rajasthan Royals, the Knight Riders go into the match confident. “Mumbai Indians have not been doing that (well). That is an advantage, we can put pressure on them. But the game has been played in Mumbai and we have to adapt immediately to the conditions here. And that is what we have been planning. And we will be able to do that,” KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit said ahead of the match. Both Pandit and KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Mumbaikars that they are, have cut their cricketing teeth here. They know the conditions like the back of their hand. That familiarity factor and the disarray that the home team is currently in may give the visitors a slight edge. When: Monday, March 31, 2025, 7:30 PM IST Where: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 12, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Head to head: MI enjoy an edge in overall face-offs – 23-11 – but KKR have won five of the last six face-offs since the start of the UAE leg of IPL 2021. Remarkably, the visitors won their last encounter at the Wankhede, ending a 12-year drought at the venue. What to expect: A high-scoring game with virtually no impact from the toss factor. The red-soil pitch at the Wankhede has traditionally produced run fests, further aided by the stadium’s small boundaries. MI will be eager to overcome their starting troubles, while KKR will look to maintain their momentum. A keen contest is on the cards. Team Watch: Mumbai Indians Injuries/Unavailability: Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, all other MI players are available. Tactics & Matchups: A change in combination could give MI a better balance. If Vignesh Puthur replaces Mujeeb Ur Rahman it could pave the way for Will Jacks. But the onus will be on Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya to tackle the might of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, the two most dangerous bowlers in the KKR line-up. Probable XII: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Vignesh Puthur and Satyanarayana Raju Kolkata Knight Riders Injuries/Unavailability: No concerns as Sunil Narine has recovered enough to be available for selection. He is 100 per cent fit, declared head coach Chandrakant Pandit. Tactics & Matchups: Quinton De Kock hit an unbeaten 97 in the previous game but he has a poor record against Mumbai’s new ball bowlers, mainly Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar. He will look to work on that. In the pre-death overs (1-15), KKR seamers have picked up just two wickets and just one in the PowerPlay phase. The fact that Andre Russell has not bowled in either game yet after finishing as KKR’s joint-highest wicket taker among seamers last season could compound the issue further for KKR going deep into the tournament. Probable XII: Quinton de Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy and Angkrish Raghuvanshi Did you know? Rohit Sharma has been dismissed inside the first over seven times since the start of the last IPL cycle in 2022 – the most by any batter in this period. In both the games this season he has not survived beyond the first over. A non-captain with no secondary skill, Rohit is sitting on 16+ crores of Mumbai’s purse. MI’s win% of 57.15% at Wankhede is the second most by a team across the last two editions, only behind CSK’s 66.67% at Chepauk. In comparison, they have won only five out of the 16 away games in the same period and have lost both their first two games this season away from home The one player whose career has been synonymous with KKR’s MI domination has been Venkatesh Iyer. In the six games he played against MI, KKR ended up winning five and the only loss came in 2023 when he scored a century at the Wankhede. What they said “I would love to. I don’t think the ball’s been swinging as much as I’d like it to, but it’s a long tournament so hopefully I will enjoy some success at some point too early in the season. We understand this game can be tough for both bowlers and batters and yeah, we’ve had two games. I don’t think we’re going to look too much into it. Hopefully we can turn it around very quickly (at the Wankhede)” – MI pacer Trent Boult on lack of success for him with the new ball “At this moment, my focus is definitely on the next game. I am not thinking about what has to be done and under whose control (is the pitch preparation). I don’t know what the system is in different states or different grounds. Of course, as a team management, as a coach, as a captain, we expect something to be provided. Who will not be happy about that (home advantage)?” – KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit on the issue of home advantage for the franchises and being denied the same at the Eden
