Rohit, Rickelton Power MI To Six-Wicket Win Over KKR In IPL 2026 Opener

Mumbai Indians opened their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign with a commanding six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium. The victory marked MI’s first opening-match win since 2012, ending a long-standing streak of defeats in season openers.

Chasing 221, MI received a blistering start from Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton, who forged a 148-run partnership for the first wicket in just 11.5 overs.

Rohit led the charge with 78 off 38 balls, striking six fours and six sixes. He reached his half-century in 23 deliveries, registering his fastest IPL fifty and his 50th half-century in the tournament.

Rickelton complemented him with an aggressive 81 off 43 balls, smashing eight sixes and four boundaries to keep MI ahead in the chase.

Suryakumar Yadav added 16 runs off eight balls, while Tilak Varma contributed 20 from 14 deliveries. Skipper Hardik Pandya remained unbeaten on 18, alongside Naman Dhir, who scored 5 not out.

MI completed the chase on the first ball of the final over, finishing at 224/4 to secure a comfortable victory.

Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders posted 220/4 after being put in to bat. Captain Ajinkya Rahane led from the front with a well-made 67 off 40 balls, including five sixes and three fours.

Young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi added a quick-fire 51 off 29 balls, while Finn Allen scored 37 off 17. Rinku Singh remained unbeaten on 33, and Cameron Green chipped in with 18.

For MI, Shardul Thakur returned figures of 3/39 in four overs, while Hardik Pandya picked up one wicket, conceding 39 runs in his spell. Meanwhile, KKR bowlers Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, and Sunil Narine claimed one wicket each but failed to contain MI’s dominant batting display.

Also Read: Rahane, Raghuvanshi Power KKR To 220/4 In High-Scoring Clash Against MI