MI vs KKR, IPL 2026: Rohit-Rickelton help Mumbai Indians end opening blues after 13 years

Mumbai Indians have won their opening game of IPL. The last time it happened was in 2012. Today, Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickleton set things up perfectly with a 148-run opening stand to chase down a 221-run target, their highest chase in IPL history. Kolkata's bowling looked clueless once Varun Chakaravarthy failed to deliver. Sunil Narine bowled only three overs, while Cameron Green was restricted to batting and fielding.

Sunil Narine gets a wicket in his last over as Tilak Varma falls. He tried to finish things in a hurry but did not have enough timing and Manish Pandey took an easy catch. Mumbai are 6 runs away from a win.

Mumbai need 20 runs off 18 balls to end their 13-year opening match jinx. Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma are on crease and KKR have already run out of ideas.

Is there a twist coming? Ryan Rickleton was looking for his 2nd run but a direct hit from Anukul Roy ended his fine knock of 81-run off 43 balls. Blessing Muzarabbani blocked his way unintentionally as he was looking to collect the throw. Mumbai lose their 3rd wicket for 184.

Dale Steyn on Kartik Tyagi's bowling action. Tyagi has bagged a wicket but has got for plenty today. 

"Tyagi seems to have changed his action, again. A young man with pace and good skill, but I feel yet to believe in his own bodies ability, often copying other bowlers actions to find some hidden gem that could work for him. Copying has its advantages, but at some stage you need to make an action your own. I hope he finds what he’s looking for soon," Dale Steyn tweeted. 

Suryakumar Yadav's form also continues to be iffy. He departs for 16 off 8 after trying to hit a pull against Kartik Tyagi. The ball almost cleared the fence but Rinku Singh was cautious there. Mumbai lose their 2nd wicket for 179.

Varun Chakaravarthy goes for 48 runs in his 4 overs as he extends his poor run of form. KKR depended heavily on the mystery spinner but he could only manage to bowl 5 dot balls in his 4-over spell.

Another T20 World Cup-winning captain comes in as an Impact player and begins with a boundary after Rohit Sharma fell.

Kolkata finally have a breakthrough after 148 runs and 11.5 overs. The partnership is broken as Rohit Sharma falls for 78 off 38 balls, trying to go for a big shot against Vaibhav Arora on a slower delivery.

After 11 overs and five different bowlers, KKR haven't called up Cameron Green to bowl. Is there an injury concern? Mumbai are running away with this match and Rinku Singh is running out of ideas now. Anukul Roy is the other option they can go to.

Ryan Rickleton gets another lifeline as Vaibhav Arora fails to hold on to the catch after running in a few yards. Kartik Tyagi is troubling both Rohit and Rickleton here as Mumbai post 122/0 in 10 overs.

After Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickleton brings up his half-century off 24 balls. This is Rickleton's 4th IPL fifty. And his fifty will also keep Quinton de Kock out of the Playing XI.

There is no stopping the Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickleton duo. They bring up 100-run stand in just 8.1 overs. Rohit has already brought up his fifty, while Rickleton is in 40s.

Rohit Sharma hits his 48th IPL fifty off just 23 balls. This was his 8th fifty against KKR and 20th at the Wankhede Stadium. He also joins the elite club of 50 fifty+ scores in IPL. Only Virat Kohli, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan achieved that feat in IPL. With that, MI end the powerplay with 80/0, ahead of KKR.

There is no mystery in Varun Chakaravarthy's bowling for Rohit Sharma. The former India captain smashed him for a 4, 6 and a 4. Two were on the offside and one was on the leg side. With that, he also surpasses David Warner for most runs against KKR in IPL. Rohit now has over 1100 runs against KKR. 

Most runs against KKR in IPL

• 1100: Rohit Sharma
• 1093: David Warner
• 1021: Virat Kohli
• 907: Shikhar Dhawan
• 829: Suresh Raina

Mumbai have the perfect start. With both Ryan Rickleton and Rohit Sharma on the charge against the pace-on deliveries, they bring up 50 run stand in just 4.1 overs.

KKR have lost their captain as he goes off the field with a cramp. Rinku Singh will now captain the side. And Rohit Sharma doesn't leave the opportunity to make fun of his long-term friend.

Shortish delivery by Vaibhav Arora and Rohit Sharma smacked that for an 87m six. Will that help him break the shackles? He has been struggling. The over turned out to be a good one as Ryan Rickleton took Arora on for two sixes. MI 34/0.

Vaibhav Arorar bowled a very good first over, taking the ball away from the left-hander. He ended up conceding a boundary off an edge. MI 6/0.

After a two-month break, Rohit Sharma returns to competitive cricket. His last appearance for India was in the ODI against New Zealand. He scored 26, 24 and 11 in three games. But today, if Mumbai are to chase the target down, they need some fireworks from Rohit. He has Ryan Rickleton with him. Rickleton had a wonderful SA20 and an average T20 WC. Mumbai Indians have never chased down 220+ scores. They failed 7 out of 7 times. 

KKR have taken off Finn Allen for Kartik Tyagi. Suryakumar Yadav will come in as the Impact sub for MI.

Team	Score	Target	Opposition	Date
Mumbai Indians	214/4	213	Rajasthan Royals	30 Apr 2023
Mumbai Indians	201/2	201	Sunrisers Hyderabad	21 May 2023
Mumbai Indians	200/4	200	Royal Challengers Bengaluru	9 May 2023
Gujarat Titans	199/5	196	Sunrisers Hyderabad	27 Apr 2022
Mumbai Indians	199/3	197	Royal Challengers Bengaluru	11 Apr 2024
Mumbai Indians	198/7	198	Kings XI Punjab	10 Apr 2019
Delhi Capitals	198/4	196	Punjab Kings	18 Apr 2021
Mumbai Indians	195/5	190	Rajasthan Royals	25 May 2014
Delhi Daredevils	195/3	195	Mumbai Indians	14 Apr 2018
Delhi Capitals	190/3	189	Chennai Super Kings	10 Apr 2021

Bumrah starts with the last over here. And once again it is a barrage of yorkers that the batters have to face. And that is it. Rinku ends with 33 from 21 as KKR make 220/4. Mumbai Indians now need their highest chase to hunt down this target.

Raghuvanshi hits a fifty in 28 deliveries and is caught out in the deep eventually. Hardik Pandya has his first wicket of the night.

It is just so very difficult to get rid of Bumrah.. Raguvanshi the set batter also cannot dispatch his yorkers. He has been bowling a few slower ones as well.

He has been excellent on the night, and the only reason why MI are still in the match, is because of Shardul. His three wickets have been priceless.

Raghuvanshi showed early signs of form as he had struck a century in a practice match, and now he is going great guns in their campaign opener as well.He has already scored 32 from 20.

Shardul has a knack of picking wickets, and he gets the dangerman Rahane for 67. He is caught out by Hardik Pandya. Rinku Singh comes into the middle.

Boult has been expensive on the night and it continues. He is taking the leg side line and Rahane and Raghuvanshi are dealing in boundaries.

Another over for Bumrah here, and he needs to poduce a wicket for the team. The run rate has come down marginally, but can be compensated for later, if wickets are intact.

Rahane brings up his fifty in only 27 deliveries, which happens to be his 34th in the IPL. He needs to accelerate from here on.

Another change in bowling and Shardul has finally done the trick. He gets the wicket Cameron Green for 18 off 10. He is caught by Rutherford, while chasing a short one.

The Afghani bowler is back. Runs are coming thick and fast ad the wickets are not coming. 100 is up for KKR already.

Leg spinner Mayank Markande comes into the attack and MI need wickets here. Rahane is going great guns for now. An appeal for an LBW. And Rahane survives, ball missing leg. Over ends with a six.

Despite the wicket of Finn Allen, Kolkata finish the powerplay with 78/1. Ajinkya Rahane is on the crease with 36 off 18 and he has Cameron Green with him.

Need a breakthrough? Call Shardul Thakur. He has done it time and again and this time, he gets the big man Finn Allen. Slower delivery outside off and Allen tries to hit it big but doesn't get enough timing and gives away an easy catch to Tilak Varma. KKR 69/1 in 5.2.

It has taken just 3.5 overs for Finn Allen and Ajinkya Rahane to complete their fifty-run stand. Two poor overs are to be blamed as Hardik goes for 26 runs after Ghazanfar's 17-run over.

Two poor deliveries on the leg by Hardik Pandya and Ajinkya Rahane punished him with two sixes.

Allah Ghazanfar bowls two shortish deliveries and Finn Allen goes after him. After a four, he pulled him for a huge six. And he repeated that with a six on the final delivery to make it a 17-run over.

Finn Allen, who has a strike rate of 196, is off the mark with a boundary. But it was not a convincing shot as Hardik Pandya's delivery took an edge off Allen's bat and went to the boundary through the fine leg. But that was the only run as Hardik concedes just 4 runs in his first over.

Two wide deliveries and then again on the foot on the leg side by Trent Boult and Ajinkya Rahane had no trouble smacking it for a six.

Ajinkya Rahane had an excellent IPL 2025 as he dominated the powerplay. He keeps his opening spot and he has the extra firepower of Finn Allen. Trent Boult will bowl the opening over for Mumbai.

Sunil Narine creates the record of most matches played by an overseas player in the IPL. He made his IPL debut in 2012 and since then, he has played for just one team, Kolkata Knight Riders. 192 wickets and 1780 runs later, he is still a KKR player. 

Most matches by an overseas player in the IPL

190: Sunil Narine
189: Kieron Pollard
184: AB de Villiers
184: David Warner
161: DJ Bravo

As expected, Finn Allen is set to open with Ajinkya Rahane with Cameron Green at No 3. Sunil Narine has been demoted back to the lower order. Blessing Muzarabani makes his KKR debut with Angkrish Raghuvanshi set to keep wickets. 

Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani

Impact Players: Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Dubey, Tejasvi Dahiya

No Deepak Chahar for Mumbai Indians. Shardul Thakur plays in his place. Allah Ghazanfar makes his MI debut. Suryakumar Yadav will be Mumbai's Impact Player. MI have also gone with Ryan Rickleton instead of Quinton de Kock to open with Rohit Sharma. 

Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, AM Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

Impact Players: Suryakumar Yadav, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar

Ajinkya Rahane does not call it right. Hardik Pandya wins the toss and opts to bowl first.

Ajinkya Rahane and Hardik Pandya are walking towards the middle. We will have the toss soon.

Mumbai Indians' mentor Sachin Tendulkar is at the pre-match warm-up. Ryan Rickleton is taking throwdowns while Hardik Pandya is runnin in with some deliveries. 

Sachin Tendulkar at Wankhede Stadium, the icon of Mumbai Indians, wearing a special jersey.💙 #MIvsKKR pic.twitter.com/BtlqxdB9PV

— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) March 29, 2026

Kolkata Knight Riders' pace bowling unit has gone for a toss. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep are ruled out of IPL 2026. Matheesha Pathirana is still not available. Their options are: Blessing Muzarabbani, Umran Malik and Navdeep Saini. KKR will pin their hopes on the two spinners: Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy.

Despite his best IPL season in 2025, Suryakumar Yadav hit a slump. He failed to score a single half-century in T20Is for India. While he returned to form in 2026, barring the match against the USA, he did not have a great T20 World Cup. IPL 2026 could be his time to hit the reset button. In IPL 2025, he scored 717 runs, including five fifties.

Since being dropped from captaincy, Rohit Sharma has had two 400+ runs seasons. His strike rate has also been almost identical. If Rohit can fire at the top with quick runs then MI will be in a better space with Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and others. MI won't have Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks who could score some runs in the lower middle order. Hence, Rohit will have to take the responsibility.

After a regulation check-in at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru, Jasprit Bumrah joined the Mumbai Indians camp just two days ago. But considering he played another key role in India's T20 World Cup title defence, Bumrah is fit and fine. 

In the two IPL seasons that Jasprit Bumrah has played since the introduction of the Impact Player, bowlers except him have conceded 9.49 rpo at Wankhede. Bumrah, meanwhile, has gone at - wait for it - 5.61. No other bowler has conceded fewer rpo at any venue since IPL 2024.

The pitch at Wankhede is usually a batter’s paradise. It’s flat with true bounce and pace that helps the ball come nicely onto the bat. The square boundaries are short (around 63-67m), while the straight boundary is a bit longer. However, despite that, chasing has not been easy. That the highest successful chase at this venue in IPL is just 213, which tells you how difficult it can get. Furthermore, Mumbai have never lost a game, defending 200+ total. Pacers might get a little help with the new ball, but as the game goes on, it generally becomes even better for batting. Most teams prefer to chase here if they win the toss.

These two sides have met 35 times in the IPL, and Mumbai Indians clearly lead the way with 24 wins to KKR’s 11. At the Wankhede, MI have been even more dominant, winning 10 out of 12 encounters. While KKR have looked more competitive in recent years, history still heavily favours the home team in this fixture.

The Wankhede Stadium won’t be an unknown venue for Kolkata Knight Riders. Their coach, Abhishek Nayar, and captain, Ajinkya Rahane, are both Mumbaikars. Angkrish Raghuvanshi is also a Mumbai lad, while Cameron Green made his IPL debut with MI. They have no dearth of experience of how the Wankhede pitch would play. 

But their primary challenge is their pace attack, which looks a little thin due to injuries. They're relying heavily on overseas stars like Finn Allen and Cameron Green, along with the spin wizardry of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy. Ajinkya Rahane’s men will be looking to catch MI cold and steal some early momentum.

It has been 14 years since Mumbai Indians won their opening game. The last time MI won their opening game, in 2012, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya did not even make their IPL debuts. Now, in Indian Premier League 2026, they have another shot at correcting that record. MI have a 24-11 record against Kolkata Knight Riders, and that would boost their confidence. 

With big names like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and a fully fit Jasprit Bumrah leading the attack, Mumbai have serious firepower. Quinton de Kock is also back and even though Mumbai will be without Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks for the game, they still have enough depth to win against Kolkata, who have a depleted bowling attack. But Hardik Pandya will need to get his tactics spot on as they face early pressure in front of their passionate fans.

Mumbai Indians' opening games

Season	Opponent	Result	Venue
2025	Chennai Super Kings	Lost by 4 wickets	Chennai
2024	Gujarat Titans	Lost by 6 runs	Ahmedabad
2023	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Lost by 8 wickets	Bengaluru
2022	Delhi Capitals	Lost by 4 wickets	Brabourne
2021	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Lost by 2 wickets	Chennai
2020	Chennai Super Kings	Lost by 5 wickets	Abu Dhabi
2019	Delhi Capitals	Lost by 37 runs	Wankhede
2018	Chennai Super Kings	Lost by 1 wicket	Wankhede
2017	Rising Pune Supergiant	Lost by 7 wickets	Pune
2016	Rising Pune Supergiant	Lost by 9 wickets	Wankhede
2015	Kolkata Knight Riders	Lost by 7 wickets	Eden Gardens
2014	Kolkata Knight Riders	Lost by 41 runs	Abu Dhabi
2013	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Lost by 2 runs	Bengaluru
2012	Chennai Super Kings	Won by 8 wickets	Chennai
2011	Delhi Daredevils	Won by 8 wickets	Delhi
2010	Rajasthan Royals	Won by 4 runs	Mumbai
2009	Chennai Super Kings	Won by 19 runs	Cape Town
2008	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Won by 5 wickets	Mumbai