Follow UsWeeks after being retained by his franchise ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane got off to a very brisk start in the 2025 Syed Musthtaq Ali Trophy, smashing 62 off 33 balls for Mumbai against Railways, opening the batting. Rahane looked good for a ton but freakishly got dismissed hit-wicket off the bowling of Karn Sharma.
Opening the batting alongside CSK youngster Ayush Mhatre (18 off 15), Rahane produced a boundary-fest as he hit four fours and five sixes. He stitched a 62-run stand with Mhatre and then another 50-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav as Mumbai got off to a winning start.
As far as Suryakumar is concerned, he did not get to his half-century but still had a fruitful outing as he posted 47 off 30 balls. The right-hander, who has been struggling for form in T20Is this calendar year, is playing SMAT in lead-up to the South Africa T20Is and had a solid start to the season, smashing five fours and two sixes.
With the ball in hand, skipper Shardul Thakur was the show-stealer for Mumbai as he registered figures of 4-1-15-1. Despite Shardul’s heroics, though, Delhi Capitals’ Ashutosh Sharma shone for Railways, posting 61 off just 30 balls. It was Tushar Deshpande who eventually dismissed the explosive right-hander.
Mumbai’s next encounter is against Vidarbha in Lucknow on November 28 (Friday).