First-match jinx broken: MI win IPL opener after 2012, Rohit Sharma leads 221-run chase vs KKR

NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians ended a long wait for a winning start to an IPL season, beating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by six wickets in a chase of 221 runs at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Mumbai had not won their opening match of an IPL season since 2012, but they broke that run with a successful chase at home and they do it by pulling off their biggest chase in IPL history.

The previous highest for MI was 219 runs against CSK at Delhi in 2021.

Openers Rohit Sharma (78 off 38) and Ryan Rickelton (81 off 43) set up the chase with half-centuries, giving the team a strong start. The batters who followed kept the scoring going as Mumbai completed the chase.

The last time Mumbai had won their opening game was in 2012 against Chennai Super Kings.

Earlier, KKR posted 220 for 4 after half-centuries from captain Ajinkya Rahane (67) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51).

Shardul Thakur returned figures of 3 for 39 and provided key wickets, though Mumbai’s bowlers found it hard to control the scoring. Trent Boult (0/38) and Jasprit Bumrah (0/35) went wicketless, but Bumrah’s overs at the end limited KKR from reaching closer to 250.

Rahane scored 67 off 40 balls, with five sixes and three fours. He also hit a six over Mayank Markande and another over midwicket off Ghazanfar.

Raghuvanshi started slowly but picked up towards the end. He was dropped on 21 by Rohit off Ghazanfar in the 15th over. He later reached his fifty before being dismissed by Pandya in the 19th over for 51 off 29 balls, including six fours and two sixes.

KKR finished on 220 for 4, but Mumbai chased the target to register their first opening-match win in IPL in over a decade.

Most wins against an opponent at a venue in the IPL

11 – MI vs KKR at Wankhede (13 mats)*

9 – KKR vs PBKS at Kolkata (14 mats)

9 – SRH vs PBKS at Hyderabad (10 mats)

Most times successfully chasing 200-plus in IPL

8 – PBKS

6 – MI*

4 – RR

4 – SRH

4 – RCB