Pre-tournament favourites Mumbai Indians (MI) will face off against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Wankhede
Stadium, Mumbai, on Sunday, March 29.
MI come into the game bolstering one of the strongest squads assigned in the history of the tournament. The Hardik Pandya-led side finished fourth in the standings last time around and reached the second Eliminator, only for them to lose to the Punjab Kings. The five-time champions did not make a host of changes to their squad apart from signing Sherfane Rutherford on a trade deal and picking Quinton de Kock in the mini auction for INR 1 crore.
KKR, on the other hand, came into the 2025 IPL as defending champions but ended up having an underwhelming campaign to finish eighth with just 12 points. The three-time champions, however, have made some big signings to strengthen their squad in order to have a better season this time around. The Kolkata-based side had a huge purse in the mini auction following the retirement of Andre Russell and letting Venkatesh Iyer go. They splashed the cash on Cameron Green (INR 25.20 crore) and Matheesha Pathirana (INR 18 crore) and also bought in other stars, including Finn Allen, Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra.
The KKRside, however, has been hit by injuries, particularly to their bowling lineup. The likes of Harshit Rana and Akash Deep have been ruled out of the tournament. This will add pressure on youngsters like Vaibhav Arora and Umran Malik to come good this season.
The Hardik Pandya-led side is not hit by any major injury concerns at the moment. However, Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness will play a huge role in deciding their fate this time around.
MI vs KKR: Match Details
| Match | Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 02, IPL 2026 |
| Venue | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Date & Time | Sunday, March 29, 7:30 PM (IST) |
| Live Broadcasting & Streaming Details | JioStar Network Channels, JioHotstar (App & Website) |
MI vs KKR: Head-to-Head record
| Matches Played | 35 |
| Won by MI | 24 |
| Won by KKR | 11 |
| Tie/NR | 0 |
| First-ever fixture | April 29, 2008 (MI Won) |
| Most recent fixture | March 31, 2025 (MI Won) |
Pitch Report: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Wankhede Stadium always offers a pitch where both bowlers and batters have something to play for. Ideally a batting-friendly wicket, Wankhede can be a batter’s paradise with smaller boundaries and a ball which comes nicely onto the bat. The bowlers, however, do have assistance with the new bowl. With the ground being in close proximity to the Arabian Sea, the sea breeze often helps bowlers get a good amount of swing early on in the innings.
MI vs KKR: Predicted Playing XI
Mumbai Indians (MI):
Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Will Jacks, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Player: Mayank Markande
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani
Impact Player: Kartik Tyagi
