Mumbai Indians will face a big challenge upfront against KKR.
Mumbai Indians (MI) have two powerplay specialists – Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar – and both are expected to play against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Still, MI have a powerplay issue since neither has been at their best with the new ball lately. Boult takes a lot more balls for every wicket, while Chahar remains short on wickets and concedes a lot at the same time.
ALSO READ:
Since 2025, Trent Boult has had an average of 27.52 and an economy rate of 7.87 in the powerplay. In this period, he has been wicketless in 55.35% and has an economy rate in excess of nine in 39.28% of the innings. This year, he has two wickets and conceded 9.07 runs per over across seven outings.
Meanwhile, Deepak Chahar has eight wickets at 35.75 runs apiece and an economy rate of 8.66 since last year. He concedes a boundary every 4.82 deliveries. He has been wicketless in 57.14% of the innings.
There’s always some early movement at the Wankhede Stadium, and these two will need to extract it. However, their recent forms don’t inspire enough confidence. The credentials have gone down massively lately.
KKR will likely open with Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen in the opening game against Mumbai Indians, and both have been among the best powerplay batters. Among all batters with at least 100 powerplay balls, Rahane has the second-best strike rate (187.40), and he has a balls-per-boundary ratio of 2.95 since 2025. He also preserved his wicket by getting out only twice during the field restrictions.
Meanwhile, Allen has the fourth-highest strike rate (181.51) in the same cutoff, hitting a boundary every 3.35 deliveries. His numbers are more impressive than Rahane’s, considering he has played all around the world and aced various conditions. Like Rahane, Allen’s average (33.23) has also been high, suggesting he maintains a high tempo while not getting out too often.
Hence, the two will pose a massive threat to the shaky Mumbai Indians bowling unit at Wankhede. The pitch will mostly be flat, so they will unlikely have too many issues. A lot will rely on Boult in the pace-bowling department.
While both batters have been explosive against pace early on, spin keeps them quiet more often than not. Rahane, for instance, has an average of 113.50 and a strike rate of 192.37 against fast bowlers. Against spin, the strike rate comes down to 122.22, but teams didn’t use spin since Sunil Narine partnered with him last season.
But with Allen on the other end, opponents will use spin more in the powerplay in IPL 2026. Allen averages 35.13 and strikes at 184.04 against pacers during the field restrictions. Both come down to 22.75 and 162.50, respectively, and he has been dismissed four times in 56 balls against spin.
Mumbai Indians won’t have Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks for this game, as per reports. That means Allah Ghazanfar might play, which might not be too bad an option since he brings a mystery factor to the league. Both Rahane and Allen have yet to face Ghazanfar, and he has a range of variations, with a decent record even against RHBs.
Since 2025, he has taken 30 wickets at 25.66 runs apiece and an economy rate of 6.97 against RHBs. Allen, in particular, has struggled massively against off-spinners: 7.50 average, 3.83 balls-per-dismissal, and 6 outs. These numbers are shockingly poor and suggest his obvious issues with spin.
Meanwhile, Rahane’s strike rate also comes down to 112.90, and he has hit only three boundaries in 31 balls with one dismissal against this bowling type. So, Allah will need to bowl upfront, especially since MI have two susceptible performers early on. If he steps up, Mumbai Indians can use Jasprit Bumrah in the toughest overs possible, like closing the powerplay, one in the middle, and a couple at the death, rather than using him earlier.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
