IPL 2026: MI End 14-Year Opener Drought as Rickelton, Rohit Ace Historic 221 Chase

Mumbai Indians 221 for 4 (Rickelton 81, Rohit 78, Narine 1-30) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 220 for 4 (Rahane 67, Raghuvanshi 51, Thakur 3-39) by six wickets

Before Sunday, Mumbai Indians had never chased down a 220-plus target in their previous seven attempts. They had not won an IPL opener since 2012. On day two of IPL 2026, both records fell on the same evening as MI chased down 221 in 19.1 overs to begin their season with a commanding six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium. 5,107 days of waiting, ended in 115 balls.

Rohit Sharma, who featured in the XI the last time MI won a season opener, wound back the clock with 78 off 38. Ryan Rickelton, handed the nod over the more experienced Quinton de Kock, repaid that faith with 81 off 43.

The pair added 148 for the first wicket off just 71 balls, and the contest was effectively over before the midpoint of MI’s innings. That KKR were coming into this game severely depleted on the bowling front was known. The full extent of it was on display at the Wankhede — Vaibhav Arora and Blessing Muzarabani offered little, Varun Chakravarthy was ineffective, and Sunil Narine looked a shadow of his former self.

Match in Phases

KKR Innings: Rahane and Allen Go Bang, Bang

Ajinkya Rahane won the toss, looked at a Wankhede surface greener than he had ever seen it, and said he had “never seen so much grass at Wankhede.” He then proceeded to bat as though it was a road.

Finn Allen, making his IPL debut, needed a couple of deliveries to find his bearings against Hardik Pandya — five dot balls, in fact. What followed made those dots irrelevant. He turned on debutant Allah Ghazanfar with ferocity, pumping him to the deep square fence, then spanking an 86-metre six over wide long-on. A third maximum capped a brutal opening over for the MI spinner, who had walked into the deep end on his IPL bow.

Rahane then picked up where Allen left off, thumping Hardik for back-to-back sixes. Allen returned to strike with 4, 4, 4 off the same over, turning it into a 26-run assault that sent KKR past fifty in just 3.5 overs — their fastest against MI in IPL history.

Shardul Thakur, on his MI debut, did what seasoned campaigners do in the middle of chaos — he found a plan. A well-disguised slower-length ball drew Allen into a shovel straight to long-off, and the opener was gone for a breezy 37 off 17. Rahane, unfazed, picked up two more fours off Thakur to close the powerplay at 78 for 1. KKR were flying.

Bumrah Intervenes, Thakur Delivers

At the end of the 11th over, KKR were motoring at just under 12 an over with Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi looking threatening. What followed across the next three overs cost KKR any chance of setting a truly daunting total.

Bumrah was not at his sharpest across his full spell — he attempted 17 yorkers and landed only six accurately, sending down five full tosses in the process. But in his second over, the 12th of the KKR innings, he was a different bowler entirely. He nailed his lengths, strangled both batters, and halted momentum dead in its tracks. Thakur arrived in the 14th and landed the decisive blow — Rahane, who had been batting beautifully, was prised out for 67, caught in the deep. Between overs 12 and 14, KKR managed just 19 runs. Those lost runs, on a surface that offered this much to batters, were the difference.

Raghuvanshi, scratchy at first, eventually found his touch and posted 51 off 29. Cameron Green, the most expensive overseas buy at the auction, made 18 off 10 but did not bowl — a subplot that will only intensify with each passing game. Ghazanfar, in his IPL debut, finished with 0 for 51 off four overs. Thakur ended with 3 for 39, his slower deliveries proving too clever for KKR’s middle order on a debut that could not have gone much better. KKR closed at 220 for 4.

KKR Batting Scorecard Highlights

MI Innings: Hitman Turns Back the Clock

As imposing as 221 looked, MI’s openers never treated it as anything more than a number to be disposed of. Rohit was watchful early — 12 off 8 at one stage — while Rickelton took a couple of overs to read the surface. Then the Rohit Sharma that Wankhede has seen so many times came to life.

Varun Chakravarthy was brought into the attack — a bowler against whom Rohit had a strike rate of under 100 in T20s coming into this game. First ball, he lofted him inside-out over covers. Next ball, he lifted him over the ropes for six. Earlier, he had already announced himself with a trademark pull off Arora, launched over the midwicket fence without a flicker of hesitation. By the time the powerplay ended, Rohit had raced to 50 off just 23 balls — the fastest fifty of his IPL career. MI were 80 without loss after six overs. The required rate, which had begun the chase at over 11 an over, was being dismantled at will.

Rickelton Justifies His Selection

While Rohit stole the powerplay headlines, Rickelton was quietly assembling something equally destructive. He used the first couple of overs simply to get a feel for the pitch, and once he had, there was no stopping him. He deposited Arora for back-to-back sixes — one over extra cover, one over deep midwicket — to signal his intentions. After the six-over mark, he turned his attention to Narine. He slog-swept him over deep midwicket in his first over, then launched him over the ropes twice in three balls in the next to bring up a 24-ball fifty.

MI were past 100 in 8.1 overs. Rohit eventually fell for 78 — caught by a sharp Anukul Roy running back from mid-off — but the required rate had already dipped below nine. Rickelton pressed on before a stunning direct hit from Anukul in the deep ended his innings at 81. Suryakumar Yadav, introduced as the Impact Sub, came and went. But the job was long done. Hardik Pandya finished unbeaten on 18 off 11, Tilak Varma contributed 20 off 14, and Naman Dhir hit the winning runs off Anukul as MI completed the highest-ever successful IPL chase at Wankhede with five balls to spare.

MI Batting Scorecard Highlights

*unbeaten

What’s Next

KKR return to Eden Gardens for three successive home fixtures, beginning with Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday, April 2. MI travel to Delhi for an afternoon encounter against the Capitals on Saturday, April 4.

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