Mumbai Indians finally changed the story of their opening game in style. On 29 March at the Wankhede Stadium, they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets in a run-packed encounter while chasing a mammoth target of 221 runs.
Great start for KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders went aggressive from the first ball. Ajinkya Rahane played an easy inning of 67 runs in 40 balls, while Finn Allen scored 37 runs in just 17 balls.
The duo took KKR to 78 for 1 in the powerplay, putting MI under early pressure. His aggressive intent set the stage for a big score.
Breathe fire to the top! 🎆
🎥Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen hit him sweetly during a strong stand.
Update ▶️ https://t.co/JmJcgsoHQ7#TATAIPL | #khelbindaas | #MIvKKR | @KKRiders pic.twitter.com/CWYrUPvhNZ
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 29 March 2026
Raghuvanshi Shines, Mi Pulls Things Back
Young Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a fearless inning of 51 runs in 29 balls. His late hitting helped KKR cross the 220-mark, ending at 220 for 4.
Shardul Thakur made a big impact on his MI debut. He broke partnerships at crucial moments and took three wickets for 39 runs.
Shardul Thakur makes a big impact on himself @mipaltan debut👊
Glimpses of his talent🔥
Update ▶️ https://t.co/JmJcgsoHQ7#TATAIPL | #khelbindaas | #MIvKKR pic.twitter.com/VET0mjgNCh
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 29 March 2026
Jasprit Bumrah also did well in controlling the scoring. He gave only 35 runs in his 4 overs, although he did not get wickets.
Rohit and Rickelton prepared to chase
Mumbai Indians started their chase in an explosive manner. Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton made a brilliant partnership of 148 runs for the first wicket.
They reached 100 runs in just 8.1 overs and took the match away from KKR completely. Rohit looked in excellent form and scored 78 runs in 38 balls.
Rohit Sharma in his element 🙌
🎥 Enjoy her great opening smack till six 👊#mi Score is 64/0 after 5 overs.
Update ▶️ https://t.co/JmJcgsoHQ7#TATAIPL | #khelbindaas | #MIvKKR | @mipaltan | @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/ys8k0JNHlW
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 29 March 2026
He completed his half-century by hitting 6 fours and 6 sixes in just 23 balls. Rickelton matched him by scoring a powerful 81 runs in 43 balls including 8 sixes.
Quiet ending marks historic victory
After both the openers were out, there was tension for a while as MI lost a few wickets early.
However, captain Hardik Pandya remained calm and scored unbeaten 18 runs in 11 balls. Naman Dheer supported him well and finished the match in brilliant fashion.
Dheer hit the winning four off Sunil Narine, achieving the target with five balls remaining and Mumbai Indians were all out at 224 for 4 in 19.1 overs.
Sealed in Style🔒@mipaltan start them #TATAIPL 2026 campaign kicks off with a resounding 6⃣ win on home ground 💙
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/JmJcgsoHQ7#khelbindaas | #MIvKKR pic.twitter.com/zOnWb5Sc8U
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 29 March 2026
Records and key facts
This win ended Mumbai Indians’ 13-year wait to win their opening IPL match, their last being in 2012.
This was also MI’s most successful run chase in IPL history, surpassing their previous best of 219 runs.
Shardul Thakur was adjudged the player of the match for his crucial spell which kept KKR in control during the middle overs.
