Mumbai Indians are finally off the mark in IPL 2025. Yes, after weeks and years of torrid starts to the Indian Premier League, MI, the five-time champions, have registered their maiden win of the season with a convincing 8-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders. With this win, MI have taken their already one-sided record over KKR to 24-11, extending their domination over the three-time winners at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Over the years, MI have undergone plenty of transformation. It all began in 2013, when the captaincy torch passed from Sachin Tendulkar to Rohit Sharma. Even as Rohit took MI to unprecedented heights, making the franchise one of the two faces of the IPL – Chennai Super Kings being the other team – Tendulkar remained associated with MI, often spotted sitting in the dugout during their home matches. Together, they experienced the highest of highs – winning five titles in 8 years – and the lowest of lows – struggling to win matches and qualify for the Playoffs.
This is MI’s quickest win at the start of the season in as many as four years. Hence, the enormity of the victory was evident on both Rohit and Tendulkar’s faces as Mumbai Indians secured two extremely crucial points. Tendulkar, who sat in the dugout, having an animated chat with Rohit after being dropped from MI’s starting XI in the first innings, was later seen hugging the former Mumbai Indians captain after the win was sealed.
The heartwarming moment between two of MI’s most iconic cricketers sent the internet into a frenzy. Some called Tendulkar’s gesture heartwarming, others a nostalgia trip. But the bigger picture, which every MI fan will agree, is that there’s no better feeling than seeing Sachin and Rohit beaming with joy at MI’s perfect win.
Here are some of the reactions:
Rohit Sharma desperately needs to score runs
As for Rohit, the joint-most successful IPL captain of all time, will need to get his focus back, and batting and score a big one before it’s too late. Rohit has begun IPL 2025 with three low scores – a duck against CSK, 8 against Gujarat Titans and 13 versus KKR. This extends a string of low scores for Rohit. In fact, Rohit has only managed 141 runs from his last 10 innings for MI, crossing 20 just once.
Despite the win, MI are positioned sixth on the points table, with one win from three games, while defending champions KKR are at the bottom of the pile due to an inferior net-run rate.