Ajinkya Rahane left the field with cramps during KKR’s clash against MI. The skipper later revealed his fitness status, while Mumbai Indians chased down 220 to win their IPL 2026 opener.
Ajinkya Rahane offered an update on his fitness after leaving the field midway during Kolkata Knight Riders’ opening fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Mumbai Indians on March 29.
The incident occurred in the fourth over of Mumbai’s chase when Rahane went down and required medical attention. Physios attended to him, but he was unable to continue and had to be helped off the pitch. In his absence, vice-captain Rinku Singh assumed leadership duties.
Rahane Confirms Calf Cramps
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rahane clarified the situation. “Feeling okay, just a lot of cramps to my calf and both the calves actually. So hopefully I’ll be okay. I mean, just a lot of cramps. It was really tough,” he said.
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Despite the setback, Rahane had earlier played a key role with the bat. Opening the innings, he scored 67 off 40 balls, including several fluent strokes, and combined with Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who added 51 off 29 balls, to help KKR post a formidable 220/4 in 20 overs.
Mumbai Indians, however, responded with a record chase. Rohit Sharma smashed 78 off 38 balls, while Ryan Rickelton top-scored with 81 off 43 deliveries. Their 148-run opening stand was MI’s second-highest in IPL history and set the tone for the pursuit.
Rohit also registered his fastest IPL fifty, reaching the milestone in just 23 balls. In doing so, he became the fourth batter to notch 50 scores of 50-plus runs in the league, joining Virat Kohli, David Warner, and Shikhar Dhawan.
KKR’s bowling attack, featuring Sunil Narine, Kartik Tyagi, and Vaibhav Arora, managed one wicket each but could not halt Mumbai’s momentum. MI eventually sealed victory by six wickets with five balls to spare, marking their highest successful run chase in the competition.
With the win, Mumbai Indians collected their first two points of the season and climbed to second place in the standings. Royal Challengers Bengaluru lead the table on net run rate after their victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
