Rohit, Rickelton power Mumbai Indians to win over KKR

MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians opened their IPL campaign with a convincing six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders, chasing down a stiff target of 221 with five balls to spare in a high-scoring encounter between two former champions. Openers Rohit Sharma (78 off 38) and Ryan Rickelton (81 off 43) set the tone with a dominant 148-run stand for the first wicket in just 11.5 overs. It marked Mumbai’s first opening-match win in an IPL season since 2012.

The breakthrough came when Vaibhav Arora dismissed Rohit. Suryakumar Yadav added a quick 16 off 8 balls before being caught by Rinku Singh off Kartik Tyagi. Rickelton’s impressive knock ended in a run-out in the 16th over. Tilak Varma contributed 20 off 14 balls, while skipper Hardik Pandya (18* off 11) and Naman Dhir (5* off 2) calmly guided the team home.

Earlier, Kolkata posted a formidable 220 for 4 in their 20 overs. Captain Ajinkya Rahane led from the front with a fluent 67 off 40 balls, striking three fours and five sixes. He shared a 69-run opening partnership with Finn Allen (37 off 17), before Allen was dismissed by Shardul Thakur. Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi impressed with a well-made 51 off 29 balls, while Cameron Green chipped in with 18 off 10. Rinku Singh remained unbeaten on 33 off 21, alongside Ramandeep Singh (4*).

With the ball, Shardul Thakur stood out for Mumbai, picking up three wickets for 39 runs, while Hardik Pandya claimed one wicket to complete a strong all-round performance.