KKR vs MI First Innings: Mumbai Indians’ Bowling Masterclass Skittles Kolkata for 116

Toss and Team News: MI Opt to Bowl, Ashwani Kumar Debuts

Table of Contents

KKR vs MI First Innings: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to field first at the Wankhede Stadium, citing the venue’s chasing-friendly conditions and potential dew factor later in the evening . MI handed a debut to Punjab’s left-arm seamer Ashwani Kumar, replacing Mujeeb Ur Rahman, while reintroducing Will Jacks. Kolkata Knight Riders welcomed back Sunil Narine, who missed their previous game due to illness, replacing Moeen Ali.

Playing XIs

Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (WK), Will Jacks, 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: Quinton de Kock (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy.
Impact Subs: Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia.

Powerplay Carnage: Boult, Chahar, and Ashwani Decimate KKR

Mumbai’s new-ball duo of Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar set the tone early, capitalizing on swing and bounce. Boult struck on the third ball of the match, cleaning up Sunil Narine (0 off 2) with a seaming delivery that rattled the stumps . Chahar followed suit in the second over, dismissing Quinton de Kock (1 off 3), who mistimed a drive to mid-off, where debutant Ashwani Kumar took a sharp catch.

The collapse intensified when Ashwani Kumar, in his maiden IPL over, removed KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane (11 off 7) with his first delivery—a wide ball outside off that Rahane sliced to Tilak Varma at third man . Venkatesh Iyer (3 off 9) fell next, edging a Chahar bouncer to wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton, leaving KKR reeling at 36/4 inside the powerplay.

Middle-Order Resistance Falters: Raghuvanshi’s Brief Spark

Angkrish Raghuvanshi (26 off 16) emerged as KKR’s lone bright spot, counterattacking with a six and three boundaries. His 24-run partnership with Rinku Singh briefly steadied the innings, but Hardik Pandya broke the stand in the 7th over, forcing Raghuvanshi to miscue a pull shot to deep midwicket.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians: Toss Update, Confirmed XIs, and Key Insights

KKR’s decision to bring in Manish Pandey as the Impact Sub backfired. Pandey (19 off 12) hit a six and a four before Ashwani Kumar returned to dismantle the middle order. In the 11th over, he dismissed Rinku Singh (17 off 14), who holed out to deep extra cover, and castled Pandey with a length ball that skidded through.

Ashwani’s Dream Debut: Russell, Harshit Succumb

Andre Russell (5 off 11), KKR’s last hope, struggled against Ashwani’s variations. The debutant outfoxed him with a slower ball that crashed into the stumps, securing his fourth wicket and becoming the sixth bowler in IPL history to take a four-wicket haul on debut . Harshit Rana (4 off 6) fell to Vignesh Puthur, who lured him into a slog-sweep caught at deep midwicket.

Mitchell Santner wrapped up the innings by dismissing Ramandeep Singh (22 off 12), who edged a flighted delivery to Hardik Pandya at short third. KKR folded for 116 in 16.2 overs—their second-lowest total against MI at the Wankhede.

Bowling Highlights: Ashwani Steals the Show

Ashwani Kumar: 4/24 in 3 overs. His mix of cutters and seam movement earned him Player of the Match honors.
Trent Boult: 1/23 in 4 overs. His early dismissal of Narine set the collapse in motion.
Deepak Chahar: 2/19 in 2 overs. His double strike in the powerplay crippled KKR’s top order.
Mitchell Santner: 1/17 in 3.2 overs. The spinner’s economy and crucial wicket sealed MI’s dominance.

Key Takeaways

MI’s Powerplay Resurgence: After struggling in earlier games, MI’s pacers took 3 wickets in the first six overs, their best powerplay performance this season.
KKR’s Over-Aggression: KKR’s batters fell to reckless shots, with only Raghuvanshi and Ramandeep showing intent.
Dew Factor Neutralized: Despite Hardik’s pre-toss concerns about dew, MI’s bowlers adapted superbly, exploiting early movement.

Conclusion: MI’s Redemption, KKR’s Reality Check

Mumbai Indians’ clinical bowling display marked a stark turnaround from their previous losses, with Ashwani Kumar emerging as a revelation. For Kolkata Knight Riders, the defeat exposed over-reliance on individual brilliance and a fragile middle order. As MI chase a modest target, the pressure now shifts to their batters to secure their first win of IPL 2025.

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