Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya expressed his delight after his side finally ended a 13-year wait for a victory in their season opener in the Indian Premier League, crediting former skipper Rohit Sharma for a commanding knock that set up a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Chasing a formidable 221, Mumbai Indians rode on Rohit’s fluent 78 and a superb 81 from Ryan Rickelton. The pair stitched together a decisive 148-run partnership as MI chased down the total with ease, finishing at 224/4 in 19.2 overs.
Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders had posted 220/4 thanks to half-centuries from skipper Ajinkya Rahane (67) and youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51), setting up what looked like a challenging total.
Reflecting on the result, Pandya said the victory carried special significance as Mumbai had not won their opening match of an IPL season since 2012.
“Obviously, it’s been a long wait [to win the season opener]. Every time we wanted to start the season on a high note. The whole group is very glad we were able to do it,” Pandya said in the post-match presentation.
The MI skipper also acknowledged how modern T20 cricket has changed, with batting-friendly surfaces making even large targets manageable. He credited the bowling unit for preventing KKR from pushing their total further.
“Credit to the bowlers, not letting KKR fly away to 240s or 250s. Those become tough targets, but 220 is always chaseable,” he said.
Pandya reserved special praise for Rohit and Rickelton for their match-winning contributions, highlighting the team’s faith in its players. “Rohit and Rickelton were outstanding. Ryan has done very well for us last year. And Quinny (Quinton de Kock) is a top man. He understood that we are backing the man and having continuity. Glad it worked.
The MI captain also applauded Rohit’s ability to dominate attacks even at this stage of his career.
“Whenever I see Ro play some shots, it opens everyone’s mouth. Nothing short of excellent, nothing short of outstanding,” he said.
Pandya also lauded all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who played a crucial role with the ball by picking up 3/39 to keep KKR in check.
“I told him, enough hopping franchises. You have to be here for the rest of your career. The way he outsmarts batters, the way he bowls, brilliant,” revealed Pandya.