Mumbai Indians pulled off a dominant victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in their opening match of the IPL 2026 on Sunday at Wankhede Stadium, kicking off their tournament campaign on a successful note. The cornerstone of MI's resounding win was the breathtaking partnership between openers Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton, who gave the side a fiery start in the chase of 220 set by Kolkata Knight Riders after being asked to bat.
Ryan Rickelton (81 off 43) and Rohit Sharma (78 off 38) knocked down KKR's bowling attack, forging a staggering partnership of 148 runs. With the victory, Mumbai Indians broke a 14-year drought to claim victory in the first game of a season. MI's successful chase turned out to be the biggest-ever IPL chase at the Wankhede Stadium. Following MI's nervy win, legendary Sachin Tendulkar lauded the team's performance highlighting the brilliance with which MI chased down a towering total.
“A good start to the innings makes all scores look comfortably chaseable! Rickelton and Rohit gave MI a lot of breathing room early on and set us up for the win. Solid first outing for Shardul as well, in a high-scoring match. Looking forward to a great season!” Tendulkar wrote on X.
Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile, posted 220/4 after being put into bat. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane launched a brutal assault at the top with 67 off 40 balls. New Zealand batter Finn Allen smashed 37 off 17, and young gun Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a fiery cameo, slamming 29-ball 51 to power the side to a big total.