Mumbai Indians will host Kolkata Knight Riders in their next IPL 2025 fixture on Monday.
The five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) would have hoped for a good start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after finishing at the bottom last year. But they have lost their first two games, and the concerns are starting to creep in.
MI lost their season opener against their arch rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by four wickets and then suffered a 36-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans. Their batting was a massive letdown in both games, while the bowling unit looked all over the place at Ahmedabad.
Not having Jasprit Bumrah has made things difficult for the Mumbai Indians, but they need to find a way to bounce back. Following a humiliating defeat to the Titans, MI need to make a few changes as they host Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
MI made a couple of changes to their playing XI for the last game, leaving out Will Jacks and Vignesh Puthur for Hardik Pandya and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. That didn’t quite work out for them as they were thoroughly outplayed.
With Hardik’s batting abilities regressing significantly and others not finding their groove yet, the batting line-up is highly dependent on Suryakumar Yadav. Their batters should enjoy batting at the home venue, but MI still need to strengthen the line-up.
MI gave Robin Minz a chance in the first two games, but he doesn’t seem ready for this level yet. Swapping him with Jacks should be the ideal move.
Vignesh Puthur became an overnight sensation after his performance in the opening game against CSK. The young left-arm wrist spinner bagged three for 32 in his four overs, including dismissals of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube.
Despite that performance, the MI management opted to leave him out against the Titans. His replacement, however, had an awful outing. Mujeeb conceded 28 runs in two overs and picked one wicket. Sacrificing an overseas batting slot didn’t work out, and it is not worth persisting with it.
Wankhede Stadium can be unforgiving for spinners, but Mumbai Indians need to back their young gun.
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If MI aren’t keen on playing Jacks, the other option that they must try is including Reece Topley. KKR have two left-hand batters at the top, and that could tempt MI to continue with Mujeeb. But Mumbai isn’t a great venue for spinners. Fast bowlers, on the other hand, can make a big impact.
In Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar, the Mumbai Indians have a good new-ball pair, while Hardik can be effective in the middle overs. Topley can strengthen this attack further.
Satyanarayana Raju played the first two games of the tournament, conceding 53 in four overs. He doesn’t have pace and relies largely on variations. On a pitch like Wankhede, this would end up worse than the previous game.
If no Jacks, Puthur and Topley for Mujeeb and Raju is a move Mumbai Indians should consider for the upcoming matches until Bumrah joins the team.
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