MI vs KKR, IPL 2025: Ashwani Kumar stars as Mumbai thrash Kolkata by 8 wickets in just 12.5 overs

MI vs KKR, IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians have opened their account in IPL 2025 with a comprehensive 8-wicket hammering of Kolkata Knight Riders. After bowling Ajinkya Rahane’s Kolkata for just 116, MI chased down the target in 12.5 overs. Ryan Rickleton hit an unbeaten 62 while Suryakumar Yadav finished proceedings with a six.

Earlier, sent to bat, Kolkata were bowled out for their third-lowest total at the Wankhede Stadium for just 116. After Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar reduced them to 41/4 in the powerplay, Ashwani Kumar bagged 4/24 on IPL debut to bowl them out for 116. Earlier, Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata in the Bollywood derby of the Indian Premier League.

MI vs KKR LIVE Score

IPL 2025 Points Table

The 8-wicket hammering in Mumbai meant Kolkata slipped to the bottom of the IPL 2025 Points Table with -1.428 Net Run Rate. Mumbai Indians jumped from the bottom to 6th place, also bettering their NRR to +0.309.

Pos	Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Pts	NRR
1	Royal Challengers Bengaluru	2	2	0	4	2.266
2	Delhi Capitals	2	2	0	4	1.32
3	Lucknow Super Giants	2	1	1	2	0.963
4	Gujarat Titans	2	1	1	2	0.625
5	Punjab Kings	1	1	0	2	0.55
6	Mumbai Indians	3	1	2	2	0.309
7	Chennai Super Kings	3	1	2	2	-0.771
8	Sunrisers Hyderabad	3	1	2	2	-0.871
9	Rajasthan Royals	3	1	2	2	-1.112
10	Kolkata Knight Riders	3	1	2	2	-1.428

Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report

The pitch at Wankhede Stadium is traditionally a batsman’s haven, praised for its even surface and consistent bounce conducive to stroke play. Early on, fast bowlers might find some purchase with the new ball, but the pitch usually evens out, leading to high-scoring contests. The average first-innings score here during IPL 2024 was around 170-180. Teams chasing tend to have the upper hand, winning 64 out of 118 matches versus 54 wins for teams batting first. The small boundaries and the anticipated dew make it likely that captains winning the toss will opt to field first tonight.

MI vs KKR Preview

MI are under considerable pressure after losing their opening two matches against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT). They find themselves ninth on the table with a poor net run rate of -1.163. Despite flickers of brilliance from Tilak Varma, who has amassed 70 runs across two games, and captain Rohit Sharma, the batting unit has not collectively fired. The fitness of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is a lingering concern, yet no changes are anticipated unless injury dictates otherwise. Securing a victory at home is pivotal for MI to avoid a 0-3 record, potentially jeopardizing their playoff ambitions early.
KKR enters this fixture buoyed by an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR). Skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s side flaunts both depth and flair with Quinton de Kock’s commanding 97-run knock and a spin assault led by Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali that throttled RR’s batting line-up. Sunil Narine, who missed out in the last match due to illness, might rejoin an already formidable lineup. Featuring Andre Russell’s explosive batting and a well-rounded bowling attack, KKR aims to exploit MI’s current weaknesses and extend their winning streak.

MI vs KKR Head-to-Head

Historically, MI have dominated this head-to-head rivalry with 23 wins to KKR’s 11 in 34 IPL encounters. At the Wankhede, MI have won 9 out off 11 matches to KKR’s only 2. However, KKR’s current momentum and MI’s initial missteps suggest a closely contested battle tonight.

MI vs KKR Head-to-Head Stats	Mumbai Indians (MI)	Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Matches Played	34	34
Matches Won	23	11
Matches Lost	11	23
No Result	0	0
Win Percentage	67.65%	32.35%

Playing XIs

Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya’s all-round capabilities and Trent Boult’s initial breakthroughs will be crucial. Tilak Varma’s batting form is a potential game-changer. However, Mumbai will be worried about Rohit Sharma’s form.

Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Vignesh Puthur

Impact Subs: Rohit Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Robin Minz, Satyanarayana Raju

Kolkata Knight Riders

Sunil Narine’s return might control the powerplay, while Andre Russell’s explosive end-game batting and Varun Chakravarthy’s spin could be pivotal. Quinton de Kock’s current touch adds stability up the order.

Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

Impact Subs: Anrich Nortje, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Luvnith Sisodia