A high-scoring encounter on Sunday night at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai saw the Mumbai Indians (MI) end their 14-year jinx of losing their first match of an IPL season as they beat the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by six wickets.
MI kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign with a successful and convincing chase of a tall target of 221 against the three-time IPL title holders, KKR.
This kind of emphatic victory by the Mumbai Indians, despite the absence of Mitchell Santner, reaffirmed their pre-tournament favorites tag.
Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah applied the brakes on KKR’s batting juggernaut after a 69-run opening stand between Finn Allen and skipper Ajinkya Rahane, eventually halting KKR to 220 after they looked set for a score around 240 at one point.
The chase was as thumping as it could have been. A leaner and fitter Rohit Sharma raced to a 23-ball fifty, his IPL career’s fastest half-century, and was dismissed for 78 off 38 balls.
At the other end, Ryan Rickelton, who was given the nod ahead of the experienced Quniton de Kock, unleashed four fours and eight maximums in his knock of 81 (43) to set up a thunderous victory, MI’s first in their opening match of a season since 2012.
Hardik remained not out on 18*(11) and was at the non-striker’s end when Naman Dhir hit the winning runs.
As the players of the two teams formed queues for the traditional post-match handshake, Rinku Singh and Pandya engaged in a fun moment where the KKR vice-captain snatched away Hardik’s bat and took it with him.
In a video going viral of the duo, Rinku could be seen grabbing Hardik’s bat immediately after the pair shook hands. Hardik seemed tickled by Rinku’s antics and let it go nonchalantly as Rinku walked away.
[Video] Rinku Singh Snatches Hardik Pandya’s Bat After MI vs KKR:
Rinku, who is notorious for borrowing his Indian teammates’ bats, took charge of the KKR team early during MI’s innings when captain Ajinkya Rahane walked off the field with some issue in his legs. Rahane later allayed any concerns, saying that he felt lot of cramps and hence had to leave the game.
Shardul won the Player of the Match award for his 3/39, which included the wickets of KKR’s top three – Allen, Rahane, and Cameron Green.
Mumbai will fly to Delhi for a game against Delhi Capitals on April 4, while KKR will play their first home fixture on April 2 against SRH.
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