Rohit Sharma benched for Mumbai Indians’ first XI against KKR in IPL 2025

In a surprising move, Mumbai Indians (MI) left out their former captain, Rohit Sharma, from the playing XI for their IPL 2025 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. This strategic decision saw Rohit placed on the bench as an Impact Substitute, with MI opting for fresh inclusions in their squad.

Ahead of the crucial Match 12 of IPL 2025, Mumbai Indians made a few key changes to their squad:

• • Will Jacks was included in the playing XI to strengthen the top order.

  • Ashwani Kumar, a left-arm seamer, was handed his debut cap.

  • Vignesh Puthur also made it to the starting lineup but was expected to be substituted later in the game.

The biggest shock for fans was Rohit Sharma's exclusion from the initial XI, a move that indicates MI’s new approach under captain Hardik Pandya. With MI struggling after two consecutive losses in the tournament, the team management seemingly opted for a new combination to bring balance to the squad.

Winning the toss, Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya opted to bowl first, citing the pitch conditions and the dew factor expected later in the evening.

"We want to make first use of the wicket and extract early swing. Dew could play a major role later, so chasing seemed the better option," Pandya explained.

On Mumbai’s back-to-back defeats in the season, Pandya remained optimistic:
"It’s a long tournament. We need to focus on playing better cricket, and hopefully, today’s changes will help us turn things around."

On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane admitted that he too would have preferred to bowl first, making it a "good toss to lose."

KKR made one crucial change:

• Sunil Narine returned to the playing XI after missing the last game against Rajasthan Royals due to illness, replacing Moeen Ali.

Rahane expressed confidence in his team’s bowling attack, emphasizing that they were prepared to defend a total against Mumbai’s batting lineup.

Mumbai Indians (MI): Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Vignesh Puthur.

Impact Substitutes: Rohit Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Robin Minz, Satyanarayana Raju.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy.

While Rohit Sharma’s omission from the starting XI may have surprised fans, he remains an Impact Player option, meaning he could be brought in later in the match, especially during Mumbai Indians’ chase.

With MI struggling for momentum in IPL 2025, all eyes will be on whether Rohit Sharma makes an impact later in the game or if this signals a larger shift in MI’s strategy going forward.