Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders Preview & Tips - MI to ease to victory in their opening game of the 2026 IPL

By Site Editor

25 Mar 2026

Site Editor 25 Mar 2026

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MI beat KKR by eight wickets in their last meeting
KKR lost their last two completed matches in the 2025 IPL
Preview, stats & head to head

Rohit Sharma of Mumbai Indians (Getty Images)

Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders Preview & Tips
Head To Head
Mumbai Indians Form
Kolkata Knight Riders Form

Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders Preview & Tips

Mumbai Indians are looking to build on a fourth-placed finish in the regular season of the 2025 Indian Premier League as they were eventually knocked out of the tournament in the second Eliminator.

Kolkata Knight Riders were nowhere near good enough last season as they finished in eighth, winning just five of their 14 matches.

MI won eight of their 14 matches in IPL 2025 (L6)

Head To Head

MI have won five of their last 10 against KKR, with the latter winning the other five meetings.

Mumbai Indians Form

The Mumbai Indians were good in 2025, but they flattered to deceive in a campaign in which they were still well short of the best sides in the competition.

A run of eight wins in 14 regular season matches saw MI finish in fourth, three points short of the leaders. While they did beat Gujarat Titans in the first Eliminator, this was a victory over a side that had almost completely run out of steam as the season wore on. Then, facing the Punjab Kings in the second Eliminator, MI were beaten with five wickets with one over to spare.

While making the penultimate match of the season was a good result for MI, they will have been heartbroken to have seen their campaign end one game before the final. This year, I predict that they will be amongst the top four contenders, and I back them to start the season with a win.

Kolkata Knight Riders Form

2025 was a year to forget for Kolkata Knight Riders as they struggled to five wins in 14 regular season matches, with this seeing them end their campaign closer to Chennai Super Kings at the foot of the standings than they were to the Punjab Kings at the summit.

Importantly, KKR secured two of their five total wins across their last four matches, with their previous 10 games culminating in three victories. Their inability to consistently win matches cost them last season, and I predict it may be a flaw in their campaign in 2026.

KKR have had the better of MI of late, winning two of their last three meetings. However, they were swatted aside by MI in their last contest in an eight-wicket loss, and I back them to slip to a second successive defeat at the hands of their opponents in their opener.

Verdict

Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders

I am backing MI to get their season off to a flying start as they down KKR at the weekend.

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