Updated on: Mar 29, 2026 5:00:04 PM IST
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: Rohit Sharma practices in the nets before the MI vs KKR match.
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: The Indian Premier League season is off to a start for 2026, with RCB beating SRH in the opener to get the ball rolling. The show keeps ticking along as it heads to the Wankhede Stadium, where two of the most successful IPL franchises with their own respective curses to end face off, Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders.
MI’s inability to get the IPL off to a winning start. It’s almost a little ridiculous – MI have not won their first game of an IPL season since 2012, but managed to get their hands on the trophy five times in that duration. Notoriously slow starters in whatever iteration of the team presents itself, there is no sense of panic in the Mumbai camp even with early losses – as shown in 2025, when they managed to make the playoffs despite being in ninth at the halfway mark of the league stage.
MI’s inability to win in their season opener meets KKR’s inability to win at the Wankhede. The Knight Riders have a horrific record at the Mumbai Stadium, only managing to win their twice in the entire history of the IPL. The funniest part – both times they won at the Wankhede, in 2012 and then 2024, they proceeded to lift the trophy.
In the game itself, it will be a strong Mumbai team, one favoured as leading contenders for the title given the quality at their disposal. They will miss a couple of key players when they begin their campaign, with Will Jacks and Mitchell Santner reportedly not having joined the team, but have the team depth that will ensure they won’t struggle too much. It’s a who’s-who throughout the team – Hardik Pandya as captain, guiding Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah, as well as Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera, and that’s just the Indian talent.
To combat this quality, KKR will need to ensure they find the right balance early. The entered the 2026 auction with a war-chest and spent it on Cameron Green and Matheesha Pathirana, but have seen their bowling corps fall apart for a multitude of reasons leading up to the tournament. The bowling unit suddenly looks very fragile, depending on replacement players and late-auction picks to carry them through, with even more pressure on their star-spinner duo as they struggle to find the right form.
With the batting, it’s a top-heavy team which has lots of options, but AJinkya Rahane will need to be clever about how he organises his troops. Where does he himself bat? Which of Seifert and Allen is picked? What order will Raghuvanshi and Green bat in in the middle overs? How do you ensure Rinku Singh doesn’t have another campaign where he is averaging facing 8 balls per innings?
KKR have the batting options and need to figure out how to deploy them – with an undercooked bowling unit due to issues out of their control, the men in purple will rely on their ability to score big runs, especially given the calibre of batting Mumbai Indians will bring to the table on home turf, first-game curse or not.
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MI’s inability to get the IPL off to a winning start. It’s almost a little ridiculous – MI have not won their first game of an IPL season since 2012, but managed to get their hands on the trophy five times in that duration. Notoriously slow starters in whatever iteration of the team presents itself, there is no sense of panic in the Mumbai camp even with early losses – as shown in 2025, when they managed to make the playoffs despite being in ninth at the halfway mark of the league stage.
MI’s inability to win in their season opener meets KKR’s inability to win at the Wankhede. The Knight Riders have a horrific record at the Mumbai Stadium, only managing to win their twice in the entire history of the IPL. The funniest part – both times they won at the Wankhede, in 2012 and then 2024, they proceeded to lift the trophy.
In the game itself, it will be a strong Mumbai team, one favoured as leading contenders for the title given the quality at their disposal. They will miss a couple of key players when they begin their campaign, with Will Jacks and Mitchell Santner reportedly not having joined the team, but have the team depth that will ensure they won’t struggle too much. It’s a who’s-who throughout the team – Hardik Pandya as captain, guiding Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah, as well as Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera, and that’s just the Indian talent.
To combat this quality, KKR will need to ensure they find the right balance early. The entered the 2026 auction with a war-chest and spent it on Cameron Green and Matheesha Pathirana, but have seen their bowling corps fall apart for a multitude of reasons leading up to the tournament. The bowling unit suddenly looks very fragile, depending on replacement players and late-auction picks to carry them through, with even more pressure on their star-spinner duo as they struggle to find the right form.
With the batting, it’s a top-heavy team which has lots of options, but AJinkya Rahane will need to be clever about how he organises his troops. Where does he himself bat? Which of Seifert and Allen is picked? What order will Raghuvanshi and Green bat in in the middle overs? How do you ensure Rinku Singh doesn’t have another campaign where he is averaging facing 8 balls per innings?
KKR have the batting options and need to figure out how to deploy them – with an undercooked bowling unit due to issues out of their control, the men in purple will rely on their ability to score big runs, especially given the calibre of batting Mumbai Indians will bring to the table on home turf, first-game curse or not.
Follow all the updates here:
Mar 29, 2026 5:00:03 PM IST
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: But injuries, off-field issues gut KKR’s bowling stocks
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: Despite all that work in the auction to land the fast bowlers they wanted, KKR were hammered by loss after loss – Mustafizur Rahman being barred, Harshit Rana out for the season, Akash Deep out for the season, and Matheesha Pathirana also working through his own injury and uncertain regarding when he will be able to join the KKR camp. It was a lot of injuries and slices of bad fortune in a small period of time, all of which has left KKR rustling around looking for replacements to try and stitch together whatever bowling attack they can.
Mar 29, 2026 4:50:13 PM IST
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: KKR head into season with massive overhaul
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: KKR felt the need to course-correct and go a different direction after a poor defence of their title last year, in which they also ended up losing key players like Andre Russell. KKR had a big purge, also releasing the heavily-priced Venkatesh Iyer, and used that bonus cash to splash money on names like Cam Green, Matheesha Pathirana, and more, rounding out the squad better and trying to target the areas of bother. With over 64 crore to spend in the auction, KKR had the chance to target whomever they wished.
Mar 29, 2026 4:40:42 PM IST
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: MI haven’t won their opening game since 2012
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: It’s a little nugget which comes up every year – Mumbai Indians simply don’t like winning their first game of the season. They have almsot forgotten how to. Not since 2012 have they managed to get going with a positive record – and to give them credit, it has hardly ever mattered, as they picked up five titles beginning that very year when this streak began. Whatever the MI iteration is, they don’t hit the blocks running – so how important is this game to them, truly?
Mar 29, 2026 4:26:04 PM IST
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: HELLO AND WELCOME!
MI vs KKR IPL 2026 LIVE Score: After last night’s RCB demolition against SRH, the IPL continues to roll on. Today, it’s over to the Wankhede Stadium, where Mumbai Indians try to win their first game of an IPL season for a first time in 14 years. They are up against KKR, themselves looking for a lot of answers. Stay tuned.
