MI Vs KKR, IPL 2026: Rohit, Ryan Help Mumbai Indians Break Opening-Match Jinx
Mumbai Indians finally broke their 12-year opening-match jinx with a dominant six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium, marking their first season-opening victory since 2012. Chasing 221, MI made it look comfortable as Ryan Rickelton (81 off 43) and Rohit Sharma (78 off 38) powered them with a blistering 148-run opening stand off just 71 balls, setting up a smooth chase that saw them finish at 224/4 in 19.1 overs, their highest successful chase at home. Earlier, KKR posted a strong 220/4 on the back of Ajinkya Rahane’s 67 and Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s quickfire 51, with Rinku Singh adding an unbeaten 33, while Shardul Thakur stood out with three wickets for MI, but it was the explosive opening partnership that ultimately sealed the game.
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya, left, with cricket legend and the team's icon Sachin Tendulkar before an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Mumbai Indians' Jasprit Bumrah and others before an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma inspects the pitch before an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya, left, talks with Trent Boult during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya, left, fields the ball during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya reacts after bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' Finn Allen plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Shardul Thakur, third right, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders' Finn Allen during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Mumbai Indians' Shardul Thakur celebrates the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders' Finn Allen during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Mumbai Indians' Shardul Thakur bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane, center, plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' Cameron Green plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Allah Ghazanfar bowls a delivery during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane celebrates his half century during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Mumbai Indians' Shardul Thakur celebrates the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders' Cameron Green during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya, left, and Rohit Sharma during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Mumbai Indians' Shardul Thakur celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Kolkata Knight Riders' Angkrish Raghuvanshi plays a shot during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
Kolkata Knight Riders' Angkrish Raghuvanshi celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' Angkrish Raghuvanshi plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Tilak Varma takes the catch to dismiss Kolkata Knight Riders' Angkrish Raghuvanshi during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Ryan Rickelton plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Ryan Rickelton plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Ryan Rickelton plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Ryan Rickelton celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' Anukul Roy takes the catch to dismiss Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' Vaibhav Arora, left, celebrates the wicket of Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians players applause Rohit Sharma during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Ryan Rickelton plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders' Kartik Tyagi, left, and Cameron Green celebrate the wicket of Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Kolkata Knight Riders players celebrate the wicket of Mumbai Indians' Ryan Rickelton during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya celebrates after won the match during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya, right, and Naman Dhir celebrate after won the match during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. | Photo: AP/Rafiq Maqbool
Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya being congratulated by Rohit Sharma after winning an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
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