Mumbai Indians star Rohit Sharma lit up the Wankhede Stadium to no end with his pyrotechnics in their first game of IPL 2026 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The right-handed batter went hammer and tongs against the Knight Riders amid his innings of 78. Although he missed a well-deserved 100, fans couldn’t help but be in awe of the veteran’s innings on the night.
Rohit Sharma hammers six sixes in his 38-ball knock against the Kolkata Knight Riders
With 221 for the five-time champions to win, Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton wasted no time in going after the Knight Riders’ bowlers. With Blessing Muzarabani taking the new ball, Rohit mustered two boundaries to get up and running. With Rickelton also going hard at the bowlers, it let no respite for the Knight Riders. Rohit eventually got to his fifty off only 23 deliveries. He eventually departed for 78 off 38 deliveries as Vaibhav Arora got the better of him in the 12th over, dismissing the star batter after he had scored at a strike rate of 205.26. The Nagpur-born cricketer had dropped a catch off Angkrish Raghuvanshi in the first innings but has contributed more than enough with the bat to put the Mumbai Indians on the verge of a win.
Here’s how the fans have reacted to Rohit’s innings
“The Hitman is BACK! 🔥 Rohit Sharma smashes a sensational 78 off just 38 balls (6 fours & 6 sixes, SR 205) while chasing 221! Fastest IPL fifty in 23 balls. Vintage Rohit lights up Wankhede 💥 #RohitSharma #MIvKKR #IPL2026 #Hitman“
— Prateek Baxi (@im_prateek760) March 29, 2026
Befitting reply to those who were questioning fitness issue of Hitman Rohit Sharma 🏏#IPL2026 #MIvKKR #RohitSharma #MumbaiIndians #Cricket
— Mahesh Kumar (@maheshsachdev25) March 29, 2026
TAKE A BOW, ROHIT SHARMA. 🫡
– 78 (38) with 6 fours and 6 sixes at the Wankhede in the opening match for MI. This is sensational stuff from the Hitman! 🔥#hitman #rohitsharma pic.twitter.com/6iiRNiH7qT
— Satyam sinha (@Satyamkumar9708) March 29, 2026
Harsha Bhogle isn’t wrong… there’s a literal Hitman aura at Wankhede! 🫡💥 Rohit Sharma doesn’t just bat, he owns the stadium! 🔥🏏
— Ashwini_Ab (@ab4winX) March 29, 2026
Kolkata Knight Riders on track for a massive total
Despite losing Allen for 37 and Cameron Green for 18, the Knight Riders were on track for a massive total. However, slowing down slightly in the middle overs after Ajinkya Rahane’s 67 meant that despite cameos from Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh, the three-time champions could only make 220 on an excellent batting strip at the Wankhede.
