All eyes were on the Wankhede Stadium but it was Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma who stole the show with a stunning performance to kick off Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 campaign.
Playing for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rohit delivered a powerful knock of 78 runs off just 38 balls. His innings, filled with six fours and six sixes, not only entertained fans but also rewrote the record books.
One of the biggest milestones came during this innings. Rohit Sharma became the highest run-scorer against a single team in the T20 cricket history. He now has 1161 runs against KKR in 36 matches, playing for both Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians. This puts him ahead of Virat Kohli, who previously held the record with 1160 runs against Chennai Super Kings.
Rohit Sharma did not stop there. He reached his half-century in just 23 balls, making it the fastest fifty of his IPL career. His previous best was a 25-ball half-century in the 2015 final against Chennai Super Kings. This also marked his 50th score of 50 or more in the IPL, placing him among the league’s top performers. Only Virat Kohli, with 72 such scores, David Warner with 66, and Shikhar Dhawan with 53 are ahead of him.
In fact, Rohit Sharma became just the fourth batter in the IPL history to reach this milestone. Over his long IPL career, which now spans 274 matches, he has scored two centuries and 48 fifties. Another major achievement came early in his innings. Rohit Sharma needed just three sixes to reach 550 sixes in T20 cricket and he got there comfortably in the fifth over. With this, he became the first Indian cricketer to hit 550 sixes in the format.
Soon, Indian cricket fans started reacting on social media platforms and here are some selected reactions from X (formerly Twitter):
https://x.com/RajatJain/status/2038294593889022327
https://x.com/KichchaStan_45/status/2038304182776820057
https://x.com/Sarthak130305/status/2038335903199019132
https://x.com/Varisuthehunter/status/2038320217907208303
https://x.com/RichKettle07/status/1982056801203032283
https://x.com/meet_vairagi/status/2038477554815017350
https://x.com/SanjayGandhi41/status/2038323393372786730
https://x.com/SainathPb45/status/2036002269448286708
Currently the second highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament, Rohit Sharma showed once again why he is considered one of the most dangerous batters in the game.
This knock wasn’t just about runs, it was a statement.
