Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have had a nightmare at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai over the years in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The three-time champions have lost 10 of 12 games at the venue, struggling to crack the code on one of the league’s most iconic grounds. So when they take on Mumbai Indians (MI) in Sunday’s opener, they will know the extent of the challenge ahead of them.
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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 as injury concerns have already disrupted their pre-campaign plans.
MI, meanwhile, remains one of the most successful franchises in the history of the tournament with five IPL titles under their belt. However, the past five seasons have been mixed, 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 has endured a mixed ride as captain after Kolkata Knight Riders handed him the leadership role following the departure of Shreyas Iyer. This season, the challenge looks even steeper as KKR are already dealing with a lot of injury problems. Mustafizur Rahman could lead their fast attack, but is no longer part of the team after omission. Can Ajinkya Rahane make his KKR chapter 2? (PTI Photo)
Matheesha Pathirana will miss the first few matches due to injury while Harshit Rana and Akash Deep have also been ruled out of the tournament. It goes without saying that Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine’s spells will be crucial to KKR’s chances against MI.
However, KKR have a formidable batting line-up boosted 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, who now serves as the franchise’s strength coach. While batting appears to be KKR’s biggest strength, Rahane will have to draw on all his experience to handle an inexperienced bowling attack.
CAN I 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 formidable with Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sherfane Rutherford and Will Jacks in the mix. We will also focus a lot on Rohit Sharma and how the veteran progresses as one of the team’s long-term pillars. Rohit Sharma back in IPL action for MI vs KKR. (Photo: PTI)
MI were without the services of AM Ghazanfar last season but could finally unleash the young Afghani’s enigmatic rotation this year. With Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult leading the pace attack, Mumbai have the kind of firepower to dismantle any batting line-up. They also have a quality option in Deepak Chahar who can share the new-ball duties with Boult.
Mitchell Santner adds further balance to the side, particularly on surfaces that offer help to the spinners while providing useful batting depth.
MI team news
There were concerns about Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness after he visited the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. However, it was later confirmed that the pacemaker visit was part of a carefully managed workload program and not due to injury concerns.
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 he will miss the clash against KKR.
England’s Will Jacks remains unavailable due to personal reasons and also misses MI’s opening match.
MI will be without 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 a replacement for Akash Deep after Akash was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
KKR brought in Navdeep Saini as a replacement for Harshit Rana after Harshit was ruled out due to a ligament problem in his right knee.
Knight Riders have brought in Blessing Muzarabani as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman.
MI vs KKR: Match Details
The second match of IPL 2026 between KKR and MI will be played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai from 19:30 IST.
The match will be telecast on Star Sports Network and available for live streaming on JioStar in India.
MI vs KKR: Mumbai Pitch and Weather Report
The Mumbai ground 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 the chasing teams, who have won 68 matches at the venue.
The batsmen are expected to enjoy the conditions and play their shots freely, while the 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 hover around 28 degrees Celsius. Conditions will be extremely humid with numbers in the 70s.
MI vs KKR: Predicted XI 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/Karthik Tyagi
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
29 March 2026 07:57 IST
