Mumbai Indians break opening-match jinx, win season opener for first time since 2012

Mumbai: Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton struck blazing half-centuries to help the Mumbai Indians romp to a six-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, ending their embarrassing streak of not winning their opening match in 13 seasons.

After pacer Shardul Thakur had claimed 3-39 to halt a rampaging KKR with skipper Ajinkya Rahane (67) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51) scoring half-centuries, Rohit Sharma struck a majestic 78 off 38 balls, and Rickelton blasted 81 off 43 balls as the Mumbai Indians reached 224/4 in 19.1 overs to secure their first victory in a season-opener since 2012.

It was vintage Rohit Sharma as the former captain turned back the clock with a sensational innings, just when everyone was thinking till when he would continue to play in T20 after quitting it at the international stage.

Rohit Sharma hammered a 23-ball fifty, his fastest in IPL, hitting three fours and five sixes as he gave the team a brilliant start. He also became the fourth batter to score a half-century of 50-plus scores in IPL.

This was Rohit's 50th half-century in 268 IPL matches, joining the club led by Virat Kohli (73, 261 matches), David Warner (66 in 184) and Shikhar Dhawan (53 in 221).

After two steady overs in which Rohit scored 12 runs off eight balls, the former India captain launched into the KKR bowlers. Rohit first pulled Vaibhav Arora into the stands before his opening partner, Ryan Rickelton, deposited Arora for back-to-back sixes.

Rohit's second six came when he backed away and scythed Blessings Muzarabani over deep backward point. The third came when Rohit backed away and scythed Muzarabani over deep backward point. He scored three more sixes, lofting Varun Chakravarthy over covers and then helping him over square-leg. Another six against Impact substitute Kartik Tyagi, hitting him for a six as the Mumbai Indians storm to 80 for no loss in the Power-play.

At the other end, Rickelton raced to his fifty off 24 balls, hitting two fours and six maximums as he matched Rohit shot for shot.

Rohit, who scored three fours and one six after reaching his fifty, was the first to get out, trying to slog Arora in the 12th over, but managing to top-edge it, and Anukul Roy hung on to a superb catch, running back from mid-on and had to put in a full-length dive to hold on to that. The 38-year-old scored a superb 78 off 38 balls, hitting six boundaries and as many maximums. Rohit and Rickelton smashed 148 runs for the opening wicket partnership off 72 balls, giving Mumbai a fabulous start.

Earlier, Skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored half-centuries as Kolkata Knight Riders reached 220/4 in 20 overs.

Asked to bat first, Rahane provided the early impetus to the KKR innings with a 40-ball 67, while Raghuvanshi provided the late finish with a 28-ball 51 after the Mumbai Indians had fought back with a three-wicket burst by Shardul Thakur (3-39).

Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh (33* off 21 balls) shared a 60-run partnership for the fourth wicket that helped KKR recover from the mid-innings slump to reach what is being considered a par score.

After a quiet first two overs, the KKR opening pair of Rahane, on his home ground, and Finn Allen exploded into action as they hammered 54 runs in 18 balls as the team raced to their first fifty against the Mumbai Indians, reaching the mark in 23 balls.

The carnage started when Hardik Pandya introduced Afghan mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, and the bowler was smashed for 17 runs in his first over, with Allen walloping him for two sixes and a four.

Things got worse in the next over as Rahane hammered back-to-back sixes off Pandya in the first two balls of the fourth over, while Allen struck the Mumbai Indian captain boundaries off successive balls to end it as KKR blasted 26 runs from the over, racing to fifty in just 23 balls.

Shardul Thakur, making his debut for MI in his home town, made the breakthrough in the sixth over, getting Allen (37, 17b, 6x4, 2x6) caught at long-on with a slower delivery as KKR ended the Power-play at 78/1. Allen and Rahane raised 69 runs for the opening wicket, laying the foundation for a big total.

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 220/4 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 67, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 51, Finn Allen 37, Rinku Singh 33 not out; Shardul Thakur 3-39) lost to Mumbai Indians 224/4 in 19.1 overs (Ryan Rickelton 81, Rohit Sharma 78; Kartik Tyagi 1-43) by six wickets. IANS

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