Proteas star Ryan Rickelton and his opening partner Rohit Sharma hit attacking knocks as Mumbai Indians beat Lucknow Super Giants to to keep their slim IPL playoff hopes alive.
The left-handed Rickelton blasted 83 from just 32 balls and put on 143 runs with Rohit, who hit 84, as Mumbai won by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium.
The pair laid the foundations for Mumbai’s successful chase of 229 with eight balls to spare.
The ‘R’ factor powering the Run chase 😎
Rohit Sharma 🤝 Ryan Rickelton
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 4, 2026
Five-time champions Mumbai, who were without unwell captain Hardik Pandya, are ninth in the 10-team table with three wins in 10 matches.
Lucknow, led by Rishabh Pant, languish at the bottom and are all but out of the race for the playoffs.
The top two teams at the end of the league stage will qualify for the playoffs.
The 39-year-old Rohit returned from an injury after missing five matches to hit his second fifty of the season as he struck six fours and seven sixes in his 44-ball knock.
South Africa’s Rickelton kept up his blazing form in his 32-ball blitz to pummel the opposition attack before his departure in the 11th over.
A knock that had the Wankhede roaring for more 💙
🎥 Ryan Rickelton made it look too easy out there 👏
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 4, 2026
Rohit, who came in as an impact substitute after Lucknow’s batting innings of 228-5, kept up the momentum with his trademark pull shot and wristy flicks to entertain the home crowd.
He finally fell to Manimaran Siddharth’s left-arm spin and Tilak Varma soon fell for 11 to raise Lucknow’s hopes.
Stand-in-skipper Suryakumar Yadav then departed for 12 before Naman Dhir, who made 23, and Will Jacks, who hit the winning six in his 10, steered the team home.
Earlier Lucknow’s West Indies star Nicholas Pooran struck form with a 21-ball 63 to put Lucknow on course for a big total.
Bouncing back like a BOSCH! 😎
🎥 #MI get rid of Nicholas Pooran & Mitchell Marsh in 1️⃣ over ☝️
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 4, 2026
Australian opener Mitchell Marsh provided the early impetus with his 44 off 25 balls and put on 94 runs for the second wicket with the left-handed Pooran.
South African pace bowler Corbin Bosch dismissed Pooran and Marsh in the ninth over to hit back for Mumbai, but Lucknow kept pace with unbeaten knocks from another Proteas star Aiden Markram and Himmat Singh.
Finishing touches on point 🔥
Aiden Markram 🤝 Himmat Singh added crucial 6⃣8⃣* runs 👏
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 4, 2026
Markram, who hit 31, and Himmat, who top-scored with 40, put on 68 runs for the sixth wicket to boost Lucknow’s score.
However, it ultimately proved insufficient in the face of Rickelton and Rohit’s opening blitz.
— AFP
Photo: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters
