Rickelton, Rohit ace record chase as MI vanquish opening game ghosts

In a nutshell

5,107 days. That's how long it has been since Mumbai Indians last won their IPL opener. But it all changed on Sunday (March 29) as even a seemingly daunting target of 221 was scaled without a fuss. Rohit Sharma, who featured in the XI the last time MI won their season opener, fittingly played a huge role in the win as Kolkata Knight Riders were blown away at the Wankhede Stadium.

The match in phases

Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 220/4 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 67 (40), Angkrish Raghuvanshi 51 (29), Finn Allen 37 (17), Shardul Thakur 3-39) lost to Mumbai Indians 224/4 in 19.1 overs (Ryan Rickelton 81 (43), Rohit Sharma 78 (38), Tilak Varma 20 (14)) by 6 wickets

Who won MI the contest?

As flat as the pitch may have been, MI always needed a flying start with the bat. And their openers provided exactly that, with Rickelton and Rohit tearing into a toothless KKR attack. It was Rohit who stole the show, announcing himself with a trademark pull off Vaibhav Arora that he launched over the midwicket fence. He did not hold back against Varun Chakaravarthy, greeting him with a four and a six with aesthetic lofts over the off-side defining his innings. A 23-ball fifty, the fastest of his IPL career, set MI on their way, before Rickelton duly went big during his knock of 81. KKR had no answers, and it didn't help that their skipper Ajinkya Rahane went off the field with cramps four overs into the defense.

Mumbaikars' day out at the Wankhede

It wasn't just Rohit who enjoyed playing on his home ground. A very green-looking Wankhede pitch was clearly deceiving to the eye, as Rahane, in the company of Finn Allen, got the Knight Riders off to a flyer, with a 26-run over off Hardik Pandya emerging as the highlight. Rahane posted a half-century, top-scoring with 67 and while Angkrish Raghuvanshi began rustily, he switched gears to score a fifty of his own.

But amidst all the carnage, there was something to cheer about for a bowler too as Shardul Thakur, on MI debut, delivered wickets on demand, using his slower deliveries in particular to great effect.

Where did the momentum shift in the contest?

At the end of the 11th over, KKR were going at just under 12 per over. What followed was a three-over phase where they lost their way as Rahane and Raghuvanshi both struggled for momentum. Of course, it was a barrage of Jasprit Bumrah yorkers that started it all before it culminated in Thakur nabbing Rahane's wicket in the 14th over. Having scored just 19 runs from overs 12-14, it cost the Knight Riders some invaluable runs that could have given them an edge, even as they did post a big score.

What did Jasprit Bumrah do?

Once again, MI needed Bumrah to come to their rescue. And while he was the only bowler across the two teams to go at under 9 per over, he wasn't quite at his best while executing the yorker. He attempted 17 yorkers in all, but landed only six accurately, sending down five full tosses along the way. At a critical stage in the game, however, his second over - the 12th of the KKR innings - was as good as it could've gotten.

How did the debutants fare?

Finn Allen's breezy start came at the expense of another debutant, as Allah Ghazanfar was carted for 17 runs in his first, eventually returning figures of 0/51 off his four overs. Cameron Green, KKR's big-ticket signing at the auction, scored 18 off 10 but the fact that he did not bowl is bound to intensify the scrutiny around him. It was a tale of contrasts for the pacers as Blessing Muzarabani failed to make a mark, while Thakur was comfortably the pick of the lot on MI debut. Sherfane Rutherford, also in his first outing for the hosts, did not get to bat.

Where do the teams go from here?

KKR head home for a stretch of three games at the Eden Gardens, starting with their clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday (April 2). MI jet across to the capital city and face Delhi Capitals in an afternoon encounter on Saturday (April 4).