How Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah swung the momentum in Mumbai Indians' favour, restricting KKR after a blazing start in IPL 2026 clash at Wankhede.
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IMAGE: Shardul Thakur finished with 3 for 39 in 4 overs in the match against KKR on Sunday, March 29, 2026. Photograph: BCCI
Mumbai Indians got off to a winning start to their IPL 2026 campaign beating Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets in a high-scoring contest at the Wankhede on Sunday.
Key Points
- MI struggled early; even Jasprit Bumrah went for runs in his opening spell.
- Shardul Thakur turned the game with a crucial sixth over breakthrough.
- His variations and control slowed KKR's scoring rate in middle overs.
- Bumrah returned strongly, using yorkers to choke Rahane and Raghuvanshi.
Put in to bat, KKR got off to a flyer with Captain Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen going hammer and tongs on a flat deck.
KKR's 50 came inside 4 overs
Rahane was at his lethal best while Allen hammered mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar for 15 runs in the 3rd over.
KKR were going at lightning speed, their 50 coming up in just the 4th over with Hardik Pandya leaking 26 massive runs.
In the hope to reign in the batters, Hardik brought on Jasprit Bumrah in the fifth over. However, there was no respite for MI as Rahane and Allen clobbered the ace bowler for 11 runs in his opening over.
A pitch that had Bumrah struggle early on was indication enough that the batters would continue to make merry.
Thakur gets breakthrough
With no breakthrough in sight, MI Skipper Hardik Pandya handed the ball to Shardul Thakur in a last ditch attempt.
Thakur, who was making his Mumbai Indians' debut, repaid the faith shown by the team management, living up to his name of partnership wrecker.
Not only did he pick wickets, he also turned the heat on KKR in the middle overs. Thakur finished with 3 for 39 off his 4 overs.
At the auction, Thakur was traded from Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 2 crores (Rs 20 million) and what an investment it's proven.
Thakur's opening spell in the 6th over, saw him break KKR's opening stand with Allen holing out in the deep for 37 off 17.
Rahane continued to find the runs along with Cameron Green as they hammered 40 runs off the next 19 deliveries, KKR looking set to surpass 240.
Green done in by Thakur's slower delivery
But Thakur employed his variations and the change of pace did the trick as he had Green looking to loft a slower ball only to be caught at deep point by Shefane Rutherford.
That over fetched KKR 9 runs and MI a wicket.
It was this over that started the choke on KKR and swung the momentum MI's way.
Trent Boult and Ghazanfar gave 21 runs in the next two overs befor Bumrah returned to the attack and strangled Rahane and Raghuvanshi with his yorkers. Both batters played him with respect as he used the yorker to good effect.
Boult also used the fuller ball with purpose as he gave 8 runs in the over before Thakur was handed the ball again in the 14th over in which he dismissed Rahane for 67 off 40. Rahane's was the biggest wicket as he was looking to put the finishing touches on KKR's innings.
Bumrah, Thakur tighten screws on MI batters
IMAGE: Jasprit Bumrah brought out his A game with his lethal yorkers, making runs hard to come by for KKR in the middle overs. He finished with figures of 0 for 35 in four overs. Photograph: BCCI
Thakur conceded just 6 runs in the over although he conceded 14 runs in his final over. It was his performance that kept the door ajar for Bumrah and Bolt to execute their yorkers and tighten the screws on MI batters.
From overs 12 to 18, MI conceded just 68 runs for the loss of Rahane's wicket. Had it not been Ghazanfar conceding 17 runs in the 15th over, KKR would have had just a little over a run-a-ball in that 6-over period.
KKR eventually finished with 220 for 4 on the board, a total that MI surpassed in 19.1 overs.
'I like challenges and this was one of the challenging situations that I had to bowl in, especially the sixth over,' Player of the Match Thakur said after the match.
'So coming in and bowling that sixth over, it was a bit challenging. Challenges are what has made me till now and I enjoy it. So I think today was one of those performances.'