Rickelton's Blistering Start Justifies MI's Opening Gamble, Says Jayawardene

There were a few raised eyebrows when Rickelton was picked to open alongside Rohit over the more experienced de Kock, but he justified his selection by hitting a stroke-filled 83 in the Mumbai Indians' six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), including hitting eight sixes.

With MI set to play their first afternoon game of IPL 2026 against Delhi Capitals on Saturday, Rickelton will be keen to make use of Arun Jaitley Stadium's short square boundaries and give the five-time champions another blistering start in the competition.

"Well, when we bought Ryan at the big auction, we knew the potential. We knew what he was capable of. We have him in our SA team as well. So, the last two years, what he has done domestically and internationally has been phenomenal. When he and Ro had a great combination last year, it was very successful for us.

"What we did with bringing Quinny back was we saw an opportunity. It was a skeleton thing for us because the local Indian wicketkeeper-batters went for a crazy price in the small auction. So we needed a backup -- we only had Minzy (Robin Minz). We pivoted and said that we'll have an overseas backup, and Quinny fitted in brilliantly," said Jayawardene, while replying to a question from IANS, in the pre-match press conference on Friday.

In the IPL, Rickelton has featured in 15 innings, scoring 469 runs at an average of 33.5 and a blistering strike rate of 156, including hitting four half-centuries. In 2026, Rickelton has been in prolific touch - amassing 632 runs in 19 innings at an average of 42.1 and an even higher strike rate of 163, including three fifties and a century.

Jayawardene further stressed that the franchise valued stability in its playing eleven, which meant slotting in Rickelton was a no-brainer. "He knows us, and he's been scoring runs. So we've had good options depth-wise. That's something that we looked at. But I don't see that we've ever considered changing that combination.

"You guys know that we as a franchise have that continuity, which is very important for us. The whole group is important, and the players do buy into that. I think Quinny is not upset by anything that he's not playing. He's part of a structure, and we felt that Ryan was batting really well, and we didn't want to change something when it's not broken.

"So Ryan has a great way of complementing Rohit out there in the middle, and it was an easier decision for us to start with Ryan and have that continuity and back our players to the hilt," he elaborated.

On the upcoming clash against DC, who are also coming off after beating Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets, Jayawardene felt the Axar Patel-led side will be formidable challengers at their home turf.

"It should be a good match. I think they are a very good team. I think in the IPL, every team at home is a challenge, and that's how we will look at it. First game for them here as well, so that's probably a slight advantage for us. We will still try to play to our strength, that's what we have been doing.

"Obviously, tactically we will have to think a few things differently for the conditions. We will prepare in the best way we can, not think too much about the opponent, but at the same time have the respect and play our best cricket," he added.

Jayawardene also backed young Afghanistan mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar to come good after he conceded 51 runs against KKR, calling him a long-term prospect. "I think he is one for the future. We feel that with his height, what we have seen, and what he can do, he will improve. He needs more game time.

"Obviously, leading up to the IPL, he didn't have much game time. He was supposed to play against Sri Lanka, but that got cancelled in the UAE. So, I mean, I am not worried. I think he bowled well.

"He had 4-5 bad deliveries in that entire match. So we do analyse things differently. His execution, ball speed, and everything were quite good. But we played on a really good wicket. On the same wicket, Narine went for 35-40 runs in 2-3 overs, and then Varun went for 48 as well.

"These are two good spinners who have played 10 plus years. So, in those contexts, I'm pretty happy. To have that X-Factor bowler within our group, among guys like Mitch, Jacksy, and Mayank, just gives us a different option in different conditions.

"Maybe later in the tournament, we will have all those options available on slower wickets. So, that's something that we looked at. But definitely, we feel that he is a great asset to have, and that's the reason why we have him at this point," he concluded.

- IANS