Summary of this article
Rohit Sharma brought up his half-century in just 23 balls
He now has 50 half-centuries in the IPL
This is his fastest half-century in the IPL
In a spectacular display of power-hitting that electrified the home crowd, Rohit Sharma roared back from an earlier fielding lapse to smash a half-century in just 23 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 29, Sunday. The Hitman reached the milestone in the final over of the powerplay, propelling Mumbai Indians (MI) to a dominant 80/0 as they chase a daunting target of 221.
Rohit Sharma reached a monumental milestone by becoming the third player in IPL history to score 50 half-centuries. While players like Virat Kohli and David Warner lead the overall charts for most career fifties, the 38-year-old is the latest addition to the list.
This is also Rohit Sharma's fastest half-century in the IPL. His second fastest fifty came in 2015 when he reached that half-century in 25 balls during the IPL 2015 Final against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Eden Gardens.
Rohit signaled his intent from the outset, taking a particular liking to KKR's pace-spin combination. He dismantled Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakaravarthy with ease, clearing the ropes five times during his stay. The highlight of the blitz came in the sixth over against Kartik Tyagi, where Rohit launched a slower delivery over extra cover for six, followed by a crisp pull for another maximum to bring up his fifty.
The knock carries extra weight following a rare fielding error by the former MI skipper in the first innings. Rohit had dropped Angkrish Raghuvanshi on 21, a mistake that allowed the youngster to go on and score 51. However, his clinical response with the bat has firmly put MI in the driver's seat, with the opening partnership alongside Ryan Rickelton (28)* now worth 80 runs at a staggering rate of 13.33 per over.
As the field spreads and KKR turns to their stand-in captain Rinku Singh for tactical answers, Rohit appears to be a man on a mission to break Mumbai’s 14-year opening-match drought.
Mumbai Indians Chase 221
The Kolkata Knight Riders produced a clinical batting performance at the Wankhede, posting a massive 220/4 after being put in to bat. The innings was sparked by a rapid-fire cameo from opener Finn Allen, who blazed 37 off just 17 balls to set the tone during the Powerplay. This early momentum was expertly carried forward by captain Ajinkya Rahane, whose vintage 67 off 40 balls anchored the middle overs.
The back end of the innings belonged to young Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who capitalized on being dropped by Rohit Sharma on 21 to smash a maiden IPL half-century. Raghuvanshi’s 51 off 29 balls provided the necessary acceleration, as he teamed up with Rinku Singh to punish a struggling Mumbai Indians attack.
While Shardul Thakur impressed on his MI debut with figures of 3/25, the rest of the bowling unit—including debutant Allah Ghazanfar, who conceded 51 runs—was largely ineffective against KKR’s relentless hitting, leaving the hosts with a record-breaking 221-run target to chase.
IPL And Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is not captaining Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026. In 2024, he handed over captaincy to Hardik Pandya and since then he has not captained MI in the IPL.
The Hitman is an IPL legend as he has scored 7124 runs in the tournament and hit 308 sixes.
Rohit has retired from the other two formats of International format and he only plays in ODIs eyeing the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.
When Is Mumbai Indians Next Match?
After the current opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Mumbai Indians will travel to Delhi for their next fixture.
They are scheduled to face the Delhi Capitals on Saturday, April 4, 2026
How many runs Rohit Sharma has in IPL?
Rohit Sharma has 7124 runs in IPL history
How many sixes Rohit Sharma hit in the IPL?
Rohit Sharma has hit 308 sixes in the IPL.
Which one was the second fastest fifty scored by Rohit Sharma in IPL?
Rohit's second fastest fifty came against CSK in the IPL 2025 final.
