Mumbai Indians’ pace spearhead Trent Boult once again showcased his brilliance with the new ball, striking in the very first over against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on March 31. The left-arm quick dismissed Sunil Narine for a duck, continuing his dominance over the West Indian all-rounder and giving MI the perfect start.
Narine, returning to KKR’s playing XI after missing the previous game due to illness, had no answer to Boult’s lethal swing. Facing just his second delivery, he attempted to clear the leg side but exposed his stumps completely. Boult delivered a full-length ball at 136.2 kph, swinging it away just enough to deceive Narine, whose bat was nowhere near the ball. The middle stump was shattered, sending the Mumbai crowd into a frenzy.
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This was yet another chapter in Boult’s continued dominance over Narine in the IPL. The Kiwi speedster has now dismissed Narine four times in as many encounters, with the left-hander managing only 19 runs off 17 balls against him. Boult’s ability to strike in the powerplay has been one of MI’s key weapons, and this dismissal marked his 30th first-over wicket in IPL history, further cementing his reputation as a powerplay specialist.
This is what we call the ⚡Boult-Deepak🌪 effect 😎#MumbaiIndians #PlayLikeMumbai #TATAIPL #MIvKKRpic.twitter.com/eraGtgnnE4
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 31, 2025
Ahead of the match, Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first. He acknowledged that the fresh wicket looked promising for batting but expected some swing early on. With dew likely to play a role, he believed chasing was the smarter option. Pandya also emphasized the need for his team to play smarter cricket and make better decisions. MI made two changes—Will Jacks returned to the side, while young Ashwani Kumar was handed his debut.
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On the other hand, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane admitted he would have also preferred to bowl first but was content with the toss result. He backed his bowling attack to defend a total and stressed the importance of moving on from past games. Kolkata made a key change, bringing in Sunil Narine to replace Moeen Ali, but the decision backfired instantly as Narine fell without scoring.
With Boult setting the tone early, MI aimed to capitalize on their strong start, while KKR looked to rebuild after an early setback.
