After a dozen games in the 2025 Indian Premier League season, the table is finally taking shape. The iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is set to witness its first IPL action of the season on Monday, as the Mumbai Indians take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in their respective third game of the season. So far, the two sides have played two games each in the season, with varying fortunes.
The Hardik Pandya-led side have lost both their matches to make yet a rather underwhelming start to the season. The first game of the season saw Mumbai lose to Chennai Super Kings by four wickets at Chepauk. The team was already without skipper Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah (the latter being injured and set to miss the first few games of the season). Pandya’s return to the side didn’t help them either, as they lost to Gujarat Titans on Saturday in Motera.
KKR, on the other hand, began their season with a loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by seven wickets. In the next match, they broke a little sweat as they swatted aside the challenge from Rajasthan Royals to win their first game of the season. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who knows the conditions well, will be hoping to keep Mumbai’s losing streak going in a critical encounter for the home team. KKR had the upper hand over Mumbai on both occasions last season, with Venkatesh Iyer in particular playing well. They hope to replicate something similar, while MI will enter with a fresh mindset in the game on Monday.
MI vs KKR: Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
There’s always some help for speedsters early on in Wankhede Stadium, and the trend should continue. However, the batting should get easy once the ball gets old, but speedsters will get some additional bounce due to red soil wickets. The team winning the toss might elect to field first, with around 200 being a fighting one.
A temperature of around 32°C, with partly cloudy skies, is forecast.
Top Player Picks for MI vs KKR Dream11 Prediction
Rohit Sharma (MI):
- Rohit Sharma hasn’t fired as expected in the first two matches. However, he has vast experience playing in Mumbai and should score against KKR.
- Rohit Sharma has 2513 runs at an average of 34.90 and a strike rate of 137.32 in 85 innings in Wankhede Stadium. He also has 17 fifties and a century here.
- Rohit Sharma vs Sunil Narine in T20s: 189 runs, 177 balls, 18.90 average, 106.77 SR, & 10 dismissals.
- Sunil Narine’s last five scores: 8, 0, 9, 57, & 92.
Tilak Varma (MI):
- Tilak Varma has 335 runs at an average of 30.45 and a 124.07 strike rate in 15 innings in Wankhede Stadium.
- Tilak Varma has done relatively well against most KKR bowlers. He will enjoy playing against them.
- Tilak Varma’s previous five scores: 39, 31, 24, 0, & 18.
Trent Boult (MI):
- Trent Boult will get some assistance with the new ball. He can snare a few wickets in the powerplay.
- Trent Boult has 12 wickets at an average of 32.66 and a strike rate of 21.91 in 11 innings in Wankhede Stadium.
- Trent Boult vs RHBs in IPL since 2024: 10 wickets, 27.50 average, & 8.46 economy rate. Trent Boult vs LHBs in IPL since 2024: 7 wickets, 32.71 average, & 8.23 economy rate.
- Trent Boult’s last five figures: 1/34, 0/27, 2/9, 2/38, & 1/43.
Ajinkya Rahane (KKR):
- Ajinkya Rahane knows the conditions quite well in Wankhede Stadium. He should score big.
- Ajinkya Rahane has 492 runs at an average of 30.75 and a strike rate of 128.12 in 17 innings in Wankhede Stadium. He also has three fifties here.
- Ajinkya Rahane vs Deepak Chahar in T20s: 21 runs, 23 balls, 5.25 average, 91.30 SR, & 4 dismissals.
- Ajinkya Rahane vs Trent Boult in T20s: 35 runs, 36 balls, 11.66 average, 97.22 SR, & 3 dismissals.
- Ajinkya Rahane’s previous five scores: 18, 56, 37, 98, & 84.
Venkatesh Iyer (KKR):
- Venkatesh Iyer will bat in the middle order. He will enjoy playing on the flat Wankhede deck.
- Venkatesh Iyer has 284 runs at an average of 35.50 and a strike rate of 150.26 in eight innings in Wankhede Stadium. He also has one fifty and a century here.
- Venkatesh Iyer’s last five scores: 6, 17, 38*, 27*, & 22.
Top Captaincy and Vice-Captaincy Picks for MI vs KKR Dream11 Prediction
Suryakumar Yadav (MI):
- Suryakumar Yadav always scores in Wankhede Stadium. He will enjoy the pace of the pitch and can score big.
- Suryakumar Yadav has 1495 runs at an average of 37.37 and a 156.38 strike rate in 49 innings in Wankhede Stadium. He also has 11 fifties and two centuries here.
- Suryakumar Yadav vs Andre Russell in T20s: 50 runs, 27 balls, 12.50 average, 185.18 SR, & 4 dismissals.
- Suryakumar Yadav’s previous five scores: 48, 29, 2, 0, & 14.
Hardik Pandya (MI):
- Hardik Pandya is a popular captaincy option for this game. He will contribute with both bat and ball.
- Hardik Pandya has 1044 runs at an average of 30.70 and a strike rate of 133.84 in 50 innings in Wankhede Stadium. He also has 42 wickets at an average of 28.14 and a strike rate of 19.45 in 48 innings here.
- Hardik Pandya vs RHBs in IPL since 2024: 10 wickets, 24.50 average, & 10.14 economy rate. Hardik Pandya vs LHBs in IPL since 2024: 3 wickets, 57 average, & 10.80 economy rate.
- Hardik Pandya’s last five scores: 11, 9, 53, 40, & 7. Hardik Pandya’s previous five figures: 2/29, 0/23, 0/11, 2/33, & 1/6.
Sunil Narine (KKR):
- Sunil Narine is a popular captaincy option for this game. He will contribute with both bat and ball.
- Sunil Narine has 15 wickets at an average of 25.80 and a strike rate of 23.26 in 15 innings in Wankhede Stadium. He also has a four-wicket haul here.
- Sunil Narine vs RHBs in IPL since 2024: 12 wickets, 27.33 average, & 7.05 economy rate. Sunil Narine vs LHBs in IPL since 2024: 6 wickets, 11.16 average, & 5.36 economy rate.
- Sunil Narine’s last five figures: 1/27, 1/34, 0/22, 2/20, & 0/31.
MI vs KKR Player to Avoid
Ramandeep Singh (KKR):
- Ramandeep Singh will bat quite low in the order. He might not get enough balls to face.
- Ramandeep Singh won’t bowl either. He can be avoided for this game.
Grand League Team for MI vs KKR Dream11 Prediction
Small League Team for MI vs KKR Dream11 Prediction
Mumbai Indians Probable Playing XI
RD Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, SA Yadav, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, HH Pandya (C), Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Satyanarayana Raju, DL Chahar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Bench: KL Shrijith, Robin Minzq, B Jacobs, WG Jacks, Rajangad Bawa, JJ Bumrah, AS Tendulkar, Vignesh Puthur, Ashwani Kumar, RJW Topley, KV Sharma, C Bosch
Kolkata Knight Riders Probable Playing XI
Q de Kock (wk), RK Singh, Ajinkya Rahane (C), VR Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, AD Russell, SP Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, H Rana, SH Johnson
Bench: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, L Sisodia, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, AS Roy, MM Ali, M Markande, A Nortje, Umran Malik, C Sakariya