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IPL breakthrough as Ryan Rickelton's stellar 62 powers Mumbai Indians past Kolkata Knight Riders

IPL breakthrough as Ryan Rickelton's stellar 62 powers Mumbai Indians past Kolkata Knight Riders
Quinton de Kock strikes a boundary on his way to an undefeated 97 off 61 deliveries for Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo: Indian Premier League)
Keanan Hemmonsbey
By Keanan Hemmonsbey
1 Apr 2025
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After a slow start, Ryan Rickelton has exhibited some of the SA20 form that sparked the initial interest from the Mumbai Indians.

After two low scores, Ryan Rickelton has stamped his mark at the Indian Premier League (IPL) with an undefeated knock of 62 off 41 deliveries for the Mumbai Indians in their eight-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, 31 March 2025.

Rickelton looked shaky in his first two knocks in his IPL career (six off nine and 13 off seven), chopping on twice when looking to go big.

In his first match at his IPL home of Wankhede — where the ball tends to come on a bit quicker, similar to South African wickets — he finally found his groove.

It came after finding the fence with a few streaky boundaries initially, but that helped the aggressive left-handed batter settle before he unleashed, striking five sixes and four fours in his knock.

“It wasn’t as fluent as I’d like it to be, but I’ll take it,” a relieved Rickelton said after the match in which he top scored.

“It’s a massive relief, in all honesty. The first two games were tricky on some tough wickets, so to get out here in Mumbai and have Spencer (Johnson) turn me inside out was quite a tough battle to get through, but once I managed to get through that it was just really pleasing to get a score.

“It’s a bit more relief than anything.”

It’s Rickelton’s maiden season in the IPL, having come off two brilliant seasons with Mumbai Indians’ sister franchise in the SA20, MI Cape Town.

Representing the side with the most trophies (five, tied with Chennai Super Kings) in the most lucrative franchise tournament in the world comes with its own pressure, but according to Rickelton, it’s mostly internal as he has the backing of the management.

“I don’t think there was any pressure, it’s more internal that comes with it,” Rickelton said. “You’re opening the batting for the Mumbai Indians with Rohit Sharma, there’s always going to be pressure internally, and obviously externally as well. For myself, I wanted to contribute to the team.” 

And he did, reaching the highest score of the match on a tough wicket for batting to help secure Mumbai’s first win of the season.

Vintage batting


Rickelton wasn’t the only southpaw South African wicketkeeper-opening batter to have found some form.

Quinton de Kock, who was part of the Kolkata side to be skittled for 117 by Rickelton’s Mumbai, was in some of the best form of the past few months with a sparkling undefeated 97 off 61 deliveries in his side’s clash against Rajasthan Royals last week. The eight-wicket victory over the Royals is Kolkata’s only win of the season so far after three matches as they are the early basement dwellers.

De Kock, who had only passed 50 once in the SA20 and had played very little cricket before that, was back to his vintage best, smacking eight fours and six sixes.

Rickelton reaches his first IPL half-century in his third match for the Mumbai Indians. (Photo: Indian Premier League)



Quinton de Kock strikes a boundary on his way to an undefeated 97 off 61 deliveries for Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo: Indian Premier League)



There are few players that encapsulate the word vintage like the 40-year-old Faf du Plessis.

Du Plessis, who is seemingly never shy of form, clubbed a 27-ball 50 for the Delhi Capitals in their seven-wicket win over Heinrich Klaasen’s Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The Sunrisers, who have the most potent top-five batters on paper, have somehow struggled to put a significant score on the board after setting 286/6 in their opening match.

In the next match they limped to 190 for the loss of nine wickets on a flat pitch against Lucknow Super Giants, before being bowled out for 163 against the Delhi Capitals.

Bowlers’ death


It has been hard going for the bowlers in this season’s IPL so far, and the South Africans in the competition have been put to the slaughter, too. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen are the only two bowlers to have got a game so far with both their economy rates exceeding 10 to the over in the matches they’ve played, although both have been involved in high-scoring games.

Rabada has collected two wickets for the Gujarat Titans and Jansen one scalp. Jansen’s Punjab Kings tackle Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke and David Miller’s Lucknow Super Giants this evening. DM

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