MI Ends 14-Year Opening Jinx with Historic Chase, Nita Ambani Calls It "Really Special"

Mumbai chased down a formidable target of 221 to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday in both teams' first match in the IPL 2026 edition. The last time MI won the first match of the IPL was 14 years ago, back in the IPL 2012 season.

In a video uploaded by Mumbai Indians' on social media, Nita Ambani addressed the squad after their win and congratulated the team and said the win felt very personal, highlighting how much the squad has changed since their last opening victory in 2012--when Harbhajan Singh was captain and players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah were not even in the team.

"A big congratulations. For me this is also quite personal because the last time we won, Rohit was not the captain of MI, Hardik had not debuted for MI and neither had Bumrah debuted for us. So, we really, really are seeing something 'Really special': today. In 2012, when we won the first game, Harbhajan Singh was our captain. So, it's a long wait," Nita Ambani said.

She compared the team's 14-year wait for a win in their IPL opener with the 14-year exile of Lord Rama.

"You know, in Hinduism, you say 'Lord Rama's exile was for 14 years!' So, this was the Mumbai Indians' exile for 14 years and we have arrived with a win," she added.

Coming to the match, MI registered a dominant six-wicket victory over KKR. Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma not only helped the Mumbai Indians win their first season-opener since the 2012 edition of the IPL but also secure their biggest run-chase in IPL history

The chase required something special, and Mumbai's openers delivered exactly that. Rohit Sharma (78 runs off 38 balls), along with Rickelton (81 runs off 41 balls), dismantled the KKR bowling attack. The duo added a century stand.

Kartik Tyagi (1/43 in 4 overs), Sunil Narine (1/30 in 3 overs) and Vaibhav Arora (1/52 in 4 overs) were the only wicket-takers for KKR.

Earlier, KKR delivered a good batting performance against MI after being asked to bat first, posting a formidable total of 220/4.

Led by a scintillating half-century from captain Ajinkya Rahane (67 off 40 deliveries, including three fours and five towering sixes) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51 off 29 balls, with six fours and two sixes).

Apart from them, crucial contributions from Finn Allen (17-ball 37, including six fours and two sixes) and Rinku Singh, who stayed unbeaten on 33 off 21 balls, with four fours, helped KKR set up a challenging target despite a three-wicket haul by speedster Shardul Thakur.

- ANI