Rohit Sharma has started off his IPL 2026 campaign with a bang on his home turf at the Wankhede Stadium. The Hit-Man smashed a 23-ball half-century, his 50th score of 50 or more in IPL history, joining the likes of Virat Kohli and David Warner. It was a hitting masterclass from the Hit-Man, who has lost 15kgs in a sensational transformation to keep his 2027 World Cup hopes alive.
Most 50+ scores in IPL history
72 - Virat Kohli
65 - David Warner
53 - Shikhar Dhawan
50 - Rohit Sharma*
Rohit started with a scrathy boundary off Blessing Muzarabani but that was all he needed to turn back the clock. The 38-year-old tore into young Vaibhav Arora early in the innings, smashing him over mid-wicket to signal his intentions. With Ryan Rickelton for company, Rohit put the KKR attack under severe pressure, milking runs with ease on a flat Wankhede wicket.
In the powerplay itself, Mumbai raced to 80, putting them in control of their 220-run chase. He reached his fifty with the final ball of the powerplay, reaching the milestone in just 23 balls. It is his fastest effort ever in the IPL, beating his previous 25-ball half-century against CSK way back in the 2015 IPL final.
Rohit Sharma was eventually dismissed for 78 off just 38 balls, having hit six boundaries and six maximums. He put on a 148-run partnership with Ryan Rickleton in just 71 balls. At the time of his dismissal, the Mumbai Indians needed runs at less than 9 an over from the original 11 an over rate.
