The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is set to host the much-anticipated 12th match of IPL 2025, where the Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 31 at 7:30 PM IST. Both teams have had contrasting starts to their campaign, with MI struggling at ninth place after back-to-back losses, while KKR, placed seventh, have managed one win in two matches.
In their last outing, Mumbai Indians fell short against Gujarat Titans despite a fighting 48-run knock from Suryakumar Yadav, losing by 36 runs. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders bounced back strongly, securing a dominant 8-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals, thanks to a sensational 97-run knock from Quinton de Kock.
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Historically, Mumbai Indians have enjoyed supremacy over Kolkata Knight Riders, winning 23 of their 34 IPL encounters, while KKR has claimed victory 11 times. With MI desperate for a win to revive their season and KKR eager to build momentum, this clash promises to be a thrilling battle between two powerhouse teams at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Mumbai Indians might consider a tactical change to strengthen their lineup. Bringing in Vignesh Puthur for Mujeeb Ur Rahman could allow them to slot in Will Jacks, adding more firepower. However, MI’s batting will heavily rely on Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya to counter the spin threat of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy—two of KKR’s most lethal bowlers.
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 (KKR)
Quinton de Kock, coming off a stunning 97*, will be keen to improve his record against Mumbai’s pace attack, particularly Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar. KKR’s bowling in the early overs has been a concern, with just two wickets in the first 15 overs across their matches, and only one in the PowerPlay. Andre Russell, despite being KKR’s joint-highest wicket-taker among seamers last season, hasn’t bowled yet in IPL 2025. If that trend continues, it could put additional pressure on KKR’s bowling depth later in 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
Fantasy XI Suggestion 1:
Quinton de Kock (vc), Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Sunil Narine (c), Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Varun Chakravarthy
Fantasy XI Suggestion 2:
Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Tilak Varma, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Hardik Pandya, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Varun Chakravarthy
