MI vs KKR Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2025 match?

The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) has started in the worst possible way for the Mumbai Indians (MI). The five-time champions find themselves exactly where they finished in the points table last year - dead last - and have been ravaged by concerns in all departments.

In a way, it feels like Mumbai haven't been able to dispel the ghosts of the past. Hardik Pandya missed their opening encounter against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) due to an over-rate penalty he incurred last year, while Jasprit Bumrah has been out injured. Rohit Sharma can't seem to score runs at the top of the order once again, as has been the case over the last decade in the IPL.

When MI lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday, March 31, they will know that they don't have much room for error. Hardik and Co. cannot afford to drop three on the bounce, which would make their run to the playoffs incredibly difficult.

Kolkata, on the other hand, will be keen on collecting some momentum early in the tournament. They currently have a win and a loss to their name, and two points on Monday would take them into the top three spots.

The Knight Riders seem to be slowly understanding how to navigate the few changes they had in their squad following the IPL 2025 auction. Quinton de Kock struck form in the previous game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) to bat through the innings and take them over the line, while Moeen Ali stepped in for Sunil Narine and did his job to perfection with the ball.

MI's squad for IPL 2025: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Bevon Jacobs, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Krishnan Shrijith, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar, Corbin Bosch.

KKR's squad for IPL 2025: Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mayank Markande, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Chetan Sakariya.

Can MI secure their first points of the new campaign? Or will KKR pile on their misery?

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IPL 2025: MI desperate to get off the mark as KKR seek momentum

2025 IPL - Gujarat Titans v Mumbai Indians - Source: Getty

MI's concerns like in the bowling department. Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult haven't been penetrative enough across phases, while PV Satyanarayana Raju doesn't seem ready for the IPL level. Mumbai also made the mistake of bringing in Mujeeb Ur Rahman for Will Jacks in the previous game, and the Afghan spinner was dreadful with his lines, lengths and speeds.

MI are likely to bring Jacks back and play him at No. 3, and that should boost their chances of winning. But how will they contend with their bowling weaknesses? It's hard to say. The five-time IPL champions simply don't have enough firepower in that department, and preventing teams from chasing down totals will be near-impossible even though the powerplay will likely aid Chahar and Boult's style of bowling.

KKR, meanwhile, are more well-rounded. They're expected to have Sunil Narine back, giving them more insurance at the top of the order and with the ball. The Knight Riders haven't harnessed the power of their middle order even slightly so far in the competition, with the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh being raring to go.

It's an even contest in the batting department, but KKR's superior bowling unit should give them the slight edge.

Prediction: KKR to win Match 12 of IPL 2025.