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Mumbai Indians rewrote their own history, breaking two time-old jinxes. MI had never pursued a target of 220 or more on their initial seven tries, not to mention that they had not won the first game of a season since 2012. The two streaks ended as they easily pursued 221 in 19.1 overs to win over the Kolkata Knight Riders by a margin of 6 wickets on March 29.
At the midpoint, KKR seemed to be in a good position following 220/4, which was its second-highest score against MI in the history of IPL. The unusual grass cover, which Skipper Ajinkya Rahane had mentioned at the toss at the Wankhede Stadium, was led by the front with an easy 67 off 40 balls. Mumbai youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi supported him well, with a rapid 51 off 29 deliveries, which propelled KKR past the 220 mark.
But even the sum of it was not much, facing a strong MI batting team. MI went to the chase confidently and with control when taking advantage of a KKR side that lacked several frontline seamers. During the process of overhauling the target, they were not much pressured and eventually recorded the most successful target run in the history of the IPL, leaving five balls to spare.
IPL 2026 Match 2: MI vs KKR Player Ratings
MI Players Ratings vs KKR
1. Rohit Sharma - 9.5/10
The Hitman himself was in absolute control, as he tore the KKR bowling assault with a searing 78 off only 38 balls, with a strike rate over 200. Bringing his 50th IPL score of fifty-plus, he created the right mood to chase and proved again why Wankhede is his fortress.
2. Ryan Rickelton - 9.5/10
Ryan Rickelton went toe-to-toe with Rohit with 81 hits out of the 43 balls, including eight towering sixes. One run-out cut short what would have been a match-winning finish, though it cannot be doubted that his influence was felt.
3. Suryakumar Yadav (Impact Player) - 6/10.
Along with a cameo of 16 off 8 balls, he walked in with the chase far in control. But trying to put an end quickly, he lost two strokes and was put in the deep.
4. Tilak Varma - 7/10
Tilak remained calm under pressure, scoring an unconquered 20 out of 14 balls. He levelled the innings and made the required rate very comfortable beyond reach. Along with that, he got two efficient catches.
5. Hardik Pandya - 7.5/10
Pandya calmly and purposefully took the side into battle. He took the key wicket of Raghuvanshi, though a little costly with the ball (1/39 in 3 overs). He remained with the bat until the finish, where he was not beaten on 18 to bring his team back home.
6. Naman Dhir - 6/10
Naman Dhir had little involvement in the game but did his role well, finishing the hunt composedly with a boundary in the last over.
7. Shardul Thakur- 9.5/10
The winner of a run-fest. His 3/39 figures were priceless on a batting-favoured pitch. He discarded star players such as Allen, Rahane, and Green, repeatedly stopping KKR's momentum.
8. Jasprit Bumrah - 7/10
The only bowler who seemed in complete control on a batting-friendly surface. Although he did not score his wicket, his economy of 8.75 was notable, particularly in his pinpoint yorkers in death against Rinku Singh.
9. Trent Boult - 5/10
A rare day off for the seasoned pacer. He found it hard to glean swing even on the greenish surface, and to the end of his four overs, he had given in 38 runs without a single wicket.
10. Allah Ghazanfar - 2/10
The batters of KKR dismantled him, and he gave 51 runs to them in his four overs as they exploited his speed and length.
11. Mayank Markande - 3/10
He had a brief spell and had to yield 16 runs in his single over. He was soon taken out of the battle; the captain preferred to use more of the pace options.
Also Read: “No total is safe at Wankhede”: MI’s batting blitz sparks meme fest
KKR Players Ratings vs MI:
1. Ajinkya Rahane - 8.5/10
He rolled back the years with a classy 67 off 40. He was the perfect anchor of the innings till cramps drove him off the field, which is arguably a loss to KKR in terms of leadership.
2. Finn Allen - 7.5/10
He provided the attack, setting fire to 37 with only 17 balls. This was the first turning point of the night when he was dismissed by Thakur.
3. Cameron Green - 5/10
The most costly foreign acquisition was not able to fully live up to the hype during its debut. He earned a quick 18 without delivering the long innings KKR was hoping to get, and he did not bowl.
4. Angkrish Raghuvanshi - 9/10
He played freely because he scored a 29-ball 51. He could identify spaces in times of pressure that made KKR go through the 200 mark.
5. Rinku Singh - 7.5/10
He was left undefeated on 33 out of 21 balls and left the innings with a few lusty strokes. Nevertheless, he struggled to go against Jasprit Bumrah's pinpoint yorkers at the death. He even came to fill in the role of captain following the departure of Rahane.
6. Ramandeep Singh - 4/10
During his short visit, he could not adjust his time and did only 4 runs.
7. Sunil Narine - 6/10
The cheapest of the regular bowlers of KKR, ending with figures of 1/30. His introduction was, however, late, such that his influence was curtailed as the openers of MI had already held power.
8. Varun Chakravarthy - 3/10
The batters were not bothered by a bad night at the ball, which was his mystery after all. He was dismantled, giving 48 runs in four overs without taking a wicket.
9. Vaibhav Arora - 4/10
He was able to get the big wicket of Rohit Sharma, but at the time when it was too late. He was costly, as he leaked 52 runs in his entire quota.
10. Kartik Tyagi - 5/10
He demonstrated some speed and removed the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, yet, like all the other bowlers, failed to halt the MI openers.
11. Blessing Muzarabani - 4/10
He was mixed on his debut. He was hitting well but lacked consistency in his line, conceding 34 runs in 3 overs.
