31 March,2025 07:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit and skipper Ajinkya Rahane (right) during practice at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pic/Ashish Raje
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians, who are yet to open their account in IPL-18 after two defeats, will be hoping to end their losing streak in their first home game at the Wankhede Stadium against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders [KKR] on Monday.
However, considering their opposition skipper Ajinkya Rahane and head coach Chandrakant Pandit have a lot of experience since they hail from Mumbai, it could be a tough task for the Hardik Pandya-led MI outfit.
In T20 cricket, it's the opening batters, who mostly set the tone of a game by capitalising on the Powerplay. However, MI's openers Rohit Sharma and South African Rickelton have been struggling. Rohit had a duck and eight, while Rickelton managed just 13 and six during MI's defeats to Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans respectively.
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If the Rohit-Rickelton pair get off to a dominant start at the Wankhede, it will help the middle-order batters like Tilak Varma (he scored 31 and 39 in the first two games) and Suryakumar Yadav (29 and 48) to build on a massive total or help them chase better.
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On the bowling front too MI have struggled. In the absence of injured pacer Jasprit Bumrah, the MI attack failed to defend 155 against CSK in Chennai last week and conceded 198-6 against GT at Ahmedabad on Saturday.
To add to their woes, skipper Pandya, who scored a 17-ball 11 and claimed 2-29 against GT has been fined R12 lakh for the team's slow over-rate during their 36-run defeat in Ahmedabad. Pandya, who was guilty of the same offence last season, had been suspended from MI's opening game this year. So, besides his batting and bowling, the over-rate issue will also add to the pressure on the Mumbai Indians all-rounder.
The MI team, who arrived in Mumbai on Sunday morning after their Saturday night fixture in Ahmedabad, preferred to take rest, but KKR, who had a net session on Saturday evening, also underwent a gruelling practice session on Sunday.
At the conference, coach Pandit refuted the suggestion that Bumrah's absence will be an advantage to his team. "I don't think one can just take any opposition granted. Of course, Bumrah has been an outstanding bowler and he does make a difference to Mumbai Indians. Unfortunately he has not been playing, but even their other bowlers are equally good," said Pandit.
Meanwhile, KKR will also be boosted by the return of all-rounder Sunil Narine, who missed their last match against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati after reporting ill on the morning of the game. In KKR's tournament opener against RCB at the Eden Gardens, Narine had struck a 26-ball 44 (5x4, 3x6) and returned figures of 1-27 off his four overs.
"Sunil is 100 percent fit. He has recovered well and has been practising since yesterday," said Pandit. Narine is fully fit and is likely to join mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in KKR's playing XI.
