Mumbai: At last, the Mumbai Indians have ended their jinx of losing the first match of the IPL, an unwanted habit which they had been carrying for 13 long seasons — from 2013 to 2025. In fact, on Sunday night at the Wankhede Stadium, that unwanted record looked like continuing when the Kolkata Knight Riders raced away to an imposing total of 220 for four after being asked to bat first. However, their openers, South African ‘keeper-bat Ryan Rickelton (81, 43b, 4×4, 8×6) and former captain Rohit Sharma (78, 38b, 6×4, 6×6), who turned the clock back with some furious hitting, blew away KKR with their rollicking 148-run opening stand, which took just 72 balls. The issue was never in doubt, even though the hosts lost a few late wickets. MI’s emphatic six-wicket win in the high-scoring game, which came with five balls to spare, gave much to cheer for their vociferous supporters. The first two days of IPL 2026 have now seen 200-plus totals chased down easily, almost in a farcical manner, which tells you how tough life is getting for the bowlers in the IPL. At the moment, the contest between bat and ball is heavily lopsided in favour of the bat in the league. In a curious development, India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav featured as an Impact Player and chipped in with an eight-ball 16 (3×4). Turning the clock back, Rohit unleashed some big sixes, with his trademark pull shot for a six in the sixth over off Kartik Tyagi standing out, while skipper Hardik Pandya (18 not out off 11 balls, 3×4) finished the job. To make things worse for the visitors, their captain Ajinkya Rahane, who smashed a fine 67 (40b, 3×4, 5×6) earlier, had to leave the field due to cramps, leaving his deputy Rinku Singh to lead the side. What must really worry KKR going forward is also the poor form of their lead spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who conceded 0-48 in four overs and is clearly struggling for rhythm. Earlier, KKR batters across the spectrum, senior batter Rahane and young gun Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51, 29b, 4×4, 2×6), smashed blazing fifties, while New Zealand opener Finn Allen (37 off 18 balls, 6×4, 2×6) and Rinku Singh (33 not out, 21b, 4×4) chipped in with vital cameos to take KKR to a formidable total. On a night which saw Mumbai players hog the limelight in front of their home crowd, Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur was not to be left behind, making a vital contribution to MI’s win. Marking a superb outing for MI, the ‘Palghar Express’ took three for 39 in four overs and was the pick of the bowlers on either side in a game that saw the world’s top pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah go wicketless (0-38 in four overs) for once. Thakur dismissed Allen (caught at wide long-on) in the sixth over to provide MI with a much-needed breakthrough at a point when the KKR openers were going berserk. Using slower balls and his variations cleverly, the 34-year-old then took the scalps of Rs 25.20 cr buy Cameron Green (18, 10b, 1×4, 1×6, caught smartly by a diving Sherfane Rutherford at deep cover), who was making his KKR debut, and Rahane (caught at extra cover off a cross-seam, full delivery bowled outside off stump), to check KKR from running away with the game. KKR were provided an electric start by Rahane, who scored his 34th IPL fifty, and Allen, who had blasted a match-winning unbeaten century against South Africa in the 2026 T20 World Cup semifinal earlier this month, as the opening pair added 69 off just 32 balls to lay the platform for a big total. Playing in his first competitive match in three months — he last turned out for Mumbai on December 16, when he smashed 72 not out off 41 balls to help Mumbai chase down 217 against Rajasthan in Pune in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy — Rahane, who opted out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and then the second half of the Ranji Trophy during the last domestic season, hardly looked rusty. Batting beautifully, the veteran batsman picked up the length early and unfurled some glorious strokes, with a cover-driven four off Thakur being the pick of the lot. There have been a few who’ve questioned KKR’s decision to make Rahane the captain again this season, but the 37-year-old, who finished as the highest run-getter for KKR last season (390 runs in 13 matches at 35.45, with three fifties), looked in a determined mood to prove his worth. Launching an all-out attack, Allen feasted on long-hops by MI’s debutant Afghanistan spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (0-57 in four overs), taking two sixes and a four off him in the third over, which went for 17. Rahane then hammered back-to-back sixes off Hardik Pandya off the first two balls of the fourth over, before Allen took three consecutive fours off the MI captain, who conceded 26 in that over.
