Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have endured a nightmare run at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium over the years in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Having lost 10 of their 12 matches at the venue, the three-time champions have struggled to crack the code at one of the league’s most iconic grounds. So, when they take on Mumbai Indians (MI) in their opening game on Sunday, they will know the scale of the challenge ahead.
The MI-KKR rivalry has also been one of the most one-sided in IPL history, with Mumbai winning 24 of the 35 meetings between the two sides since 2008. For Kolkata, the task on March 29 looks even tougher, with injury concerns already disrupting their plans before the start of the campaign.
MI, meanwhile, remain one of the most successful franchises in the tournament’s history, with five IPL titles to their name. However, the last five seasons have been a mixed bag, marked by inconsistency and missed opportunities. In 2026, Mumbai will be desperate to rediscover the ruthless edge and killer instinct that once made them the team to beat.
CAN RAHANE REPAY KKR’S FAITH?
Ajinkya Rahane endured a mixed run as captain after Kolkata Knight Riders handed him the leadership role following Shreyas Iyer’s departure. This season, the challenge looks even steeper, with KKR already dealing with multiple injury concerns. Mustafizur Rahman could have spearheaded their pace attack, but he is no longer part of the squad after being left out.
Matheesha Pathirana is set to miss the first few games due to injury, while Harshit Rana and Akash Deep have also been ruled out of the tournament. It goes without saying that the spells of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine will be crucial to KKR’s chances against MI.
KKR, however, do possess a formidable batting line-up, bolstered by the arrivals of New Zealand duo Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, along with Cameron Green, who comes in as a replacement for Andre Russell, now serving as the franchise’s power coach. While batting appears to be KKR’s biggest strength, Rahane will need to draw on all his experience to manage an inexperienced bowling attack.
CAN MI TURN IT AROUND?
MI, on the other hand, have a formidable squad at their disposal. The return of Quinton de Kock has added further strength to their top order, while the middle order looks equally imposing with Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sherfane Rutherford and Will Jacks in the mix. There will also be plenty of focus on Rohit Sharma and how the veteran steps up as one of the team’s long-standing pillars.
MI were without the services of AM Ghazanfar last season, but this year they could finally unleash the mystery spin of the young Afghan. With Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult leading the pace attack, Mumbai possess the kind of firepower that can dismantle any batting line-up. In Deepak Chahar, they also have a quality option who can share the new-ball duties with Boult.
Mitchell Santner adds further balance to the side, especially on surfaces that offer assistance to spinners, while also providing useful depth with the bat.
MI Team News
There were concerns over Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness after he visited the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. However, it was later confirmed that the pacer’s visit was part of a carefully managed workload programme, and not due to any injury concern.
On Saturday, head coach Mahela Jayawardene confirmed that Bumrah is available to play for MI.
Mitchell Santner is yet to link up with the MI squad with his arrival in India yet to be confirmed, meaning that he will miss the KKR clash.
England’s Will Jacks remains unavailable due to personal reasons, also missing MI’s opening match.
MI won’t have the services of left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury.
KKR Team News
KKR signed Saurabh Dubey as Akash Deep’s replacement after Akash was ruled out with a lumbar stress injury.
KKR brought in Navdeep Saini as Harshit Rana’s replacement after Harshit was ruled out due to a right knee ligament issue.
The Knight Riders brought in Blessing Muzarabani as replacement for Mustafizur Rahman.
MI vs KKR: Match Details
The second game of IPL 2026 between KKR and MI will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, starting at 7:30 PM IST.
The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and available for live streaming on JioStar in India.
MI vs KKR: Mumbai Pitch and Weather Report
The pitch in Mumbai has been a good batting surface over the years, with an average first-innings score of 172 in 125 matches. The numbers also suggest a slight advantage for chasing teams, who have won 68 games at the venue.
Batters are expected to enjoy the conditions and play their shots freely, while bowlers could find it tough on what is likely to be another high-scoring surface.
There is no chance of rain in Mumbai on Sunday. Temperatures will be around the 28-degree Celsius mark. The conditions will be extremely humid with the numbers in the 70s.
MI vs KKR: Predicted XIs and Impact Subs
MI Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sherfane Rutherford, Hardik Pandya (C), Naman Dhir, AM Ghazanfar, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Sub: Mayank Markande/Shardul Thakur
KKR Predicted XI: Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert (WK)/Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani
Impact Players: Rahul Tripathi/Kartik Tyagi
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