IPL 2026: MI vs KKR - RO's a HIT against the Knights

IPL 2026: MI vs KKR - All Important Stats

Mumbai Indians started their 2026 campaign with a thumping win against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede. Believe it or not - MI won their first match of the tournament after 13 seasons. Batting first, KKR posted a sturdy 220 on the board, courtesy important contributions from all the KKR batters. Skipper Ajinkya Rahana (67) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51) chipped in with fifties. Shardul Thakur (3/39) for MI was the star with the ball.

In response, the MI batters clobbered the leather off the ball. Rohit Sharma registered his 50th 50+ score in IPL. The star batter smashed 78 off only 38 and added 148 for the first wicket with Ryan Rickleton (81 off 43). MI chased down 220 with five deliveries to spare.

221 - The target MI chased down successfully, marking their highest-ever run chase in IPL history, surpassing the 219 they hunted against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2021. It is also the highest successful chase recorded by any team at the Wankhede Stadium in the IPL.

23 - The number of balls Rohit Sharma took to reach his half-century against KKR, making it the fastest among his 50 fifty-plus scores in the IPL. His previous quickest was a 25-ball fifty against CSK in the 2015 final. Rohit’s 23-ball fifty also equals his fastest for MI, having previously achieved the same feat against Perth Scorchers in the CLT20 in 2013.

MI vs KKR also marked only the second time in 19 IPL seasons that Rohit scored a fifty in his opening match of the campaign. The other instance was also against KKR, when he made an unbeaten 98 in 2015.

25 - Number of wins for MI against KKR. The most against a team in IPL. The sides have played 36 times in the IPL with the Knights winning only 11 times.

1161 - The number of runs Rohit has scored against KKR in the IPL, now the most by any batter against a single opponent, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 1159 runs against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

5107 - The number of days between MI’s first win of an IPL season - from their victory against CSK in 2012 to their win over KKR in 2026. Until Sunday, MI had lost their opening match in 13 consecutive seasons, including five times while defending the title.

Sunday marked just the fifth occasion in 19 IPL seasons where MI have won their opening game. Notably, the previous four instances came in a streak between 2009 and 2012.

11.86 - Varun’s economy rate across his last six T20 matches, conceding 273 runs in 23 overs. This is the worst economy rate recorded by any spinner who has bowled at least 120 balls across six consecutive men’s T20 matches. Sunday also marked the first time Varun went wicketless in 17 T20 games.

3 - Wickets taken by Shardul Thakur on his IPL debut for MI, claiming one in each of his first three overs. He was responsible for dismissing KKR’s first three batters.

Thakur has proven time and again that he's a partnership breaker and the pacer managed to break partnerships of 69, 40, and 36 runs respectively. Only three other instances exist in IPL history where a bowler has ended three partnerships of 35-plus runs in a single match. Thakur himself achieved this earlier against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022, while Andrew Tye (vs KKR in 2018) and Chris Morris (vs Rajasthan Royals (RR)) in 2020 are the others.

What was your favourite moment from the MI vs KKR fixture? Ajinkya's classy knock, Hitman's fiery innings, Rickelton's blitz or Shardul's wily spell? Comment and let us know and get your favourite IPL jersey's now. Click here.