Mumbai Indians hadn’t won since April 20, and their last home victory came on April 29. With defeats piling up, Monday’s clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had begun to feel like a must-win for their playoff hopes.
It didn’t start well. The bowlers conceded 228, leaving a daunting chase. The Wankhede waited for Rohit Sharma to take charge, but it was Ryan Rickelton who seized the moment.
The left-hander, MI’s most consistent batter this season, hammered 83 off 32 balls to drive the chase and claim the Player of the Match award.
After the game, Rickelton reflected on what it’s like to open alongside Rohit.
“He’s just built different. Like I said, he’s one of the greatest to play the game. And it’s never always life-changing advice that you hear — it’s stuff that you’ve heard through different paths and closures as you kind of work your way through the game. It’s just more how he manages pressure, how he stays calm and how he backs his ability and understands his game really well. So like I said, always really cool to be going out there to bat with one of India’s greatest. And hopefully I can continue to do it for some time to come.”
For Rickelton, the partnership works because of how they share the pressure.
“It does, yeah. And I said earlier in an interview that we complement each other quite nicely. Sometimes he gets away really quickly and takes a lot of pressure off me. And sometimes I get away quickly and take a lot of pressure off him. So, that was probably tonight where I got away. And coming back from five or six games out, he gave himself a few balls to just get back to batting again and his routines. And then, obviously, transferring that pressure onto the bowlers. And it is a dream to watch. He hit some shots that I could only have in my wildest dreams. But when he is in full flow, it’s a treat and he takes the pressure off you. So, I do enjoy it.”
His place in the side hasn’t been without pressure either, with Quinton de Kock in the squad.
“It’s been tricky, I suppose, to have a guy of Quinny’s calibre sitting on the bench at the start of the season. It was tricky to manage mentally because maybe you’re burning yourself with a bit more pressure to do well because you have a guy who’s flipping good sitting behind you and the whole world’s screaming to pick him.”
“But on the flip side of that, I got an opportunity when he did some damage to his hand. And I still back my game, I still back my skill, and the opportunity was there. And I just really want to try to represent this team… So it’s always healthy competition. We’re very supportive of each other. I mean, he was the first person to absolutely abuse me tonight, saying I threw away 100, which I agree with him. So, yeah, he’s very supportive. He’s helped me a lot this tournament.”
The win was only Mumbai Indians’ third in 10 matches. They next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur on Sunday.
