One man’s loss is another man’s gain. That defines April 29, 2026, for two South African wicketkeeper batters. Quinton de Kock, who was opening for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the last 3 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was ruled out of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) match. This resulted in Ryan Rickelton getting his spot.
Injury luck
Rickelton had initially opened the innings for MI. He started with an 81-run knock, but after a flurry of low scores – 9, 8, 37, and 2 – he was dropped for de Kock. Quinton, who played for the franchise from 2019 to 2021, restarted his journey with an unbeaten 112 against the Punjab Kings.
De Kock was confirmed to open in Rohit Sharma’s absence, despite two low scores after his hundred. But luck had something else planned for him and Rickelton. The former couldn’t play against SRH at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai due to a wrist injury, and the latter replaced him.
Selection conundrum for Mumbai Indians
This return has resulted in a major selection headache for MI. Because much like de Kock, Rickelton has smashed a hundred upon his return. In fact, it’s the fastest-ever hundred for an MI batter in the IPL. He’s done to De Kock what he’d done to him. How can one drop someone who’s just scored a hundred, that too in quick time, and ensure the team gets back on track?
Fast start and big end
Mumbai had been struggling for fast starts in the powerplay ever since Rohit sustained a hamstring injury on April 12, but Rickelton and Will Jacks changed things up. Rickelton ended up scoring 37 (18) in the first 6 overs as MI ended with 78/0. Jacks departed soon after for a brilliant 46 off 22, but he didn’t take his foot off the gas.
Suryakumar Yadav’s early dismissal didn’t affect him, and neither did Naman Dhir’s off-colour 22-run knock. In the next overs, by the end of the 12th over, Rickelton had scored 46 off 16. His strike rate went up despite the field restrictions, something that isn’t common. Hardik Pandya joined him in the middle, and moments later, he registered his maiden IPL hundred in just 44 balls.
Hardik departed in the 19th over with a valuable 31 off 15, and Tilak Varma lasted just 5 balls. Most depart soon after reaching triple digits due to fatigue or a drop in intensity, but Rickelton kept on going. He remained unbeaten on 123, scoring over 50% of MI’s total runs. His last two deliveries, a six and a four, gave the final push to Mumbai as they crossed the 240-run mark.
Fastest hundred for Mumbai Indians
- 44 balls – Ryan Rickelton vs SRH, Wankhede, 2026
- 45 balls – Sanath Jayasuriya vs CSK, Wankhede, 2008
- 45 balls – Tilak Varma vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2026
- 47 balls – Cameron Green vs SRH, Wankhede, 2023
- 49 balls – Suryakumar vs GT, Wankhede, 2023
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