3 player battles to watch out for in MI vs KKR, Match 12 of IPL 2025 ft. Trent Boult

The iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will finally host its first match of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) as home team Mumbai Indians (MI) gear up to host defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The contest will take place on Monday, March 31.

The five-time champions have faced back-to-back defeats in the tournament, losing their first two games against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Gujarat Titans (GT). KKR, meanwhile, lost their opening game but bounced back with a victory against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their last outing.

Set to play their first game at home this season, MI would hope to give the fans their money’s worth and add the first two points on the points table. KKR, on the other hand, will look to carry the winning momentum into this game.

On that note, let’s look at the three player battles to watch out for:

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3 player battles to watch out for in MI vs KKR, Match 12 of IPL 2025

#3 Tilak Varma (Batter) vs Varun Chakaravarthy (Bowler)

Given their skill sets, MI’s top-order batter Tilak Varma and KKR’s mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy are the key players for their respective sides. While the former is known for batting for long and managing the innings, the latter’s top skill is to provide breakthroughs at crucial moments.

Varma has played 21 deliveries off Chakaravarthy, scoring 32 runs at a strike rate of 152.38. Having played four innings against each other, the KKR spinner has dismissed the MI batter once and will hope to add another one to his tally if he gets a chance to bowl to him in the forthcoming contest.

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#2 Hardik Pandya (Batter) vs Sunil Narine (Bowler)

Hardik Pandya returned to the IPL after missing the first game for MI this season owing to a match ban. However, the skipper’s comeback wasn’t a memorable one as his side lost to GT at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 29.

Sunil Narine, meanwhile, missed the previous game but will be available for the upcoming contest. Pandya has faced 45 deliveries against Narine in eight innings and scored 70 runs at a strike rate of 155.55. The Indian all-rounder has stood strong against the Caribbean all-rounder and has never been dismissed by him.

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#1 Quinton de Kock (Batter) vs Trent Boult (Bowler)

Quinton de Kock will be up against his former team, MI, and will open the innings for KKR. With the Protea wicketkeeper-batter’s place fixed in the top-order, he’s likely to face the opposition’s new-ball expert, Trent Boult.

The two have a good history of facing each other, with de Kock scoring 50 runs off 44 balls in nine innings against Boult. The Kiwi pace sensation has dismissed the South African not once, not twice, but a whopping six times in all T20s.

Hence, this will be one of the most action-packed player battles to look out for.