Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya hugs Shardul Thakur during their match against Kolkata Knight Riders. (Pic credit: IPL)

NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians’ long wait for a winning start to an IPL season finally ended at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, and skipper Hardik Pandya’s heartfelt message to pace bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur stole the spotlight after a commanding six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Thakur, who returned impressive figures of 3/39 in a high-scoring contest, played a decisive role in restricting Kolkata to 220/4. His performance earned him the Player-of-the-Match award, but it was Pandya’s candid remark on his future that added a compelling layer to the evening.“I told him this season, I said, ‘enough hopping of the franchises. I want you to be here for the rest of your career,’” Pandya said after the match. “He’s a character. He has a big heart. The way he comes out and kind of always tries to outsmart a batter, simply brilliant and really happy for him.”Having represented seven franchises across his IPL journey, Thakur’s nomadic career could now find stability at Mumbai if his captain has his way. The 34-year-old has featured in 106 matches, picking up 110 wickets while contributing valuable lower-order runs at a brisk strike rate.MI end 13-year opening-match jinxPandya also reflected on the significance of the result itself, as Mumbai Indians snapped a 13-year streak of losing their opening match. “It’s been a long wait — 13 years is a long time. Very glad, the whole team is very glad that we were finally able to do it,” he said.The chase was anchored by a blistering opening stand between Rohit Sharma (78 off 38) and Ryan Rickelton (81 off 43), who added 148 runs to put Mumbai firmly in control of the 221-run chase. Despite a brief slowdown in the middle overs, Pandya (18 not out) and Tilak Varma ensured the hosts crossed the line with five balls to spare.Earlier, Kolkata were powered by half-centuries from Ajinkya Rahane (67) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51), with Finn Allen providing early impetus. However, Thakur’s timely breakthroughs prevented the visitors from pushing beyond reach.

Rohit Sharma added another remarkable chapter to his illustrious career on Sunday, becoming the first capped player to feature in all 19 editions of the Indian Premier League. The milestone came during Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 opener against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium. While Rohit is only the second player overall to appear in all 19 seasons after Virat Kohli, he stands alone in having done so as a capped international throughout. Rohit’s journey began in the inaugural 2008 season with Deccan Chargers, shortly after making his India debut in 2007. In contrast, Kohli had featured in the first IPL season as an uncapped player before making his international debut later that year. Marking the milestone in style, Rohit delivered a stunning performance with the bat. Chasing a daunting 221, he smashed a fluent 78 off 39 balls, leading Mumbai’s charge in a high-scoring contest. In the process, he also brought up his 50th IPL half-century, joining an elite list that includes Kohli, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan.Most 50-plus scores in IPL72 – Virat Kohli66 – David Warner53 – Shikhar Dhawan50 – Rohit Sharma* The veteran opener also achieved another major feat, becoming the player with the most runs against a single opponent in IPL history, with 1161 runs against KKR. Rohit found strong support in Ryan Rickelton, as the duo stitched together a match-defining 148-run opening partnership — the highest ever for Mumbai Indians against KKR. Rickelton contributed a brilliant 81 off 43 balls as MI chased down 221 with ease, finishing at 224 for 4 to seal a six-wicket win. Earlier, KKR had posted 220 for 4 on the back of half-centuries from Ajinkya Rahane (67) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51), but their efforts were overshadowed by Mumbai’s dominant chase. On a night filled with records and milestones, Rohit not only etched his name deeper into IPL history but also proved once again why he remains one of the league’s most enduring and impactful players.

Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton (BCCI)

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.