A blazing knock by Rohit Sharma and a strong innings from Ryan Rickelton powered Mumbai Indians to a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders, ending their long-standing opening match jinx
MI’s Rohit Sharma during his quickfire 78 off 38 balls vs KKR at Wankhede on Sunday. Pic/Atul Kamble
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene lavished praise on Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton for their contributions in MI’s six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their IPL-19 opener at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Riding on Rohit’s 38-ball 78 (6x4, 6x6) and South African left-hander Rickelton’s 81 off 43 balls (4x4, 8x6), MI chased down KKR’s 220-4 with five balls to spare, and Jayawardene credited the opening pair for ending their 14-year jinx of losing IPL openers.
Ryan Rickelton celebrates his half-century on Sunday. Pic/Atul Kamble
“It is brilliant. It was a good wicket, and KKR got 220 on the board. I think we gave away 20 runs extra. The way Rohit and Ryan batted, it was exquisite to watch… brilliant execution. That was the game plan and these two guys played well,” Jayawardene said during the post-match press conference on Sunday.
Jayawardene hailed the 148-run opening stand, highlighting Rohit’s determined and focused approach.
“Rohit joined us [MI practice] from the first day of the camp. He was very focused and fresh. He played some good matches, practice games and had match simulations. I was happy with the way he was hitting the balls. I thought he batted brilliantly. The way Rohit and Ryan handled the opposition attack was good to see from a tactical point of view. It was a great partnership and long may it continue,” remarked Jayawardene.
Mahela Jayawardene
On Player of the Match pacer Shardul Thakur (3-39), Jayawardene, a former Sri Lankan captain, said the move to bring him into the MI camp was tactical. “It was a tactical [decision] because we could not have too many new ball bowlers upfront. We needed options in the middle and at the back end. That was the thinking when we traded Shardul from LSG [Lucknow Super Giants]. It about thinking differently with our bowling combinations, depending on different oppositions and how we want to go about it,” he said.
148
Runs added by Rohit and Rickelton — MI’s highest opening partnership at Wankhede in the IPL
23
No. of balls taken by Rohit Sharma to score his half-century on Sunday — his fastest in the IPL
1161
Total runs for Rohit Sharma vs KKR — the most by a player against an opponent in the IPL
50
No. of 50-plus scores for Rohit Sharma in the IPL (48 half-centuries and two centuries)
25
No. of wins for MI against KKR — the most by a team against an opponent in the IPL
11
No. of wins for MI against KKR at Wankhede — the most wins against an opponent at a venue in the IPL
444
Total runs scored at Wankhede on Sunday — the highest match aggregate between MI and KKR in the IPL
224-4
Runs scored by MI on Sunday — their highest successful chase in the IPL
81
Runs scored by MI’s Ryan Rickelton on Sunday — his highest score in the IPL
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