Mumbai Indians finally broke their 13 year opening match jinx with a thrilling six wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium. Rohit Sharma smashed a sensational 78 off 38 balls while Ryan Rickelton blitzed 81 off 43 balls as the pair put on a record 148 run opening stand.
KKR had posted a massive 220/4 powered by Ajinkya Rahane’s 67 off 40 balls and Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 51 off 29 balls. However, MI chased down 221 in just 19.1 overs with Naman Dhir hitting the winning boundary.
MI vs KKR Match Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2nd Match, IPL 2026 |
| Venue | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Result | Mumbai Indians won by 6 wickets |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 220/4 (20 overs) |
| Mumbai Indians | 224/4 (19.1 overs) |
| Player of the Match | Shardul Thakur |
| Toss | Mumbai Indians won and chose to field |
First Innings Highlights
Finn Allen and Ajinkya Rahane attacked from the start, racing to 78/1 in the powerplay. Allen smashed two sixes and a four off debutant AM Ghazanfar. Rahane hammered back to back sixes off Hardik Pandya in a 26 run fourth over. Shardul Thakur provided the breakthrough by dismissing Allen for 37 with a slower ball. Cameron Green added a quick 18 before Thakur struck again.
Rahane brought up his fifty off 27 balls and smashed a six off Ghazanfar’s over that went for 20 runs. However, Thakur removed the set Rahane for 67 at extra cover. Raghuvanshi then took charge with a six and a four off Ghazanfar. He and Rinku Singh added a rapid 50 run partnership. Rinku smashed a four off Bumrah’s rare no ball as KKR finished on 220/4. Shardul Thakur was the pick of the MI bowlers with 3/39.
| Category | Player | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Best Batsman | Ajinkya Rahane | 67 runs (40 balls, 3×4, 5×6) |
| Best Bowler | Shardul Thakur | 4 overs, 39 runs, 3 wickets |
Second Innings Highlights
Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton produced one of the greatest opening partnerships in MI history. Rohit smashed two sixes off Vaibhav Arora in the third over. Meanwhile, Rickelton hammered back to back sixes off the same bowler. Rohit then attacked Varun Chakaravarthy with two fours and a six to bring up MI’s fifty in the fifth over.
He reached his fifty off just 23 balls, the fastest of his IPL career. Rickelton slog swept Narine for two sixes as the pair raced to 148 before Rohit fell to a stunning running catch by Anukul Roy for 78. Impact substitute Suryakumar Yadav walked in and scooped his first ball for four. However, Kartik Tyagi dismissed him for 16 at deep midwicket.
Tilak Varma then smashed his first ball for four through mid off. Hardik Pandya attacked immediately with back to back fours off Muzarabani. Additionally, Tilak scooped a four off the 17th over to bring the equation down. Naman Dhir sealed the win with a boundary off Anukul Roy as MI completed the chase in 19.1 overs.
| Category | Player | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Best Batsman | Ryan Rickelton | 81 runs (43 balls, 4×4, 8×6) |
| Best Bowler | Vaibhav Arora | 4 overs, 52 runs, 1 wicket |
