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5 Highest Opening Partnerships For Mumbai Indians In IPL

Jatin

Ryan Rickelton & Rohit Sharma [Source: AP Photos]Ryan Rickelton & Rohit Sharma [Source: AP Photos]

Over the years, Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with some explosive openers. These pairs have given some massive starts to the team and have etched their name in the IPL record books.

On Thursday night in Jaipur, another pair added their name to that elite list. During Match 50 of IPL 2025 against Rajasthan Royals, Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton unleashed a batting masterclass and put on a mammoth opening stand that stormed its way into MI’s top 5 opening partnerships of all time.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 highest opening partnership for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

5. Rohit Sharma And Ryan Rickelton: 116 Vs RR, Jaipur, 2025

The latest entrants to the elite list came in a key game for Mumbai Indians. Under lights at Jaipur, the MI openers came out firing on all cylinders. Rickelton wasted no time in finding the boundary, taking on Jofra Archer and Fazalhaq Farooqi early in the innings. Rohit Sharma, playing second fiddle at first, switched gears after the powerplay.

By the halfway mark, MI were already nearing 100. Their 116-run stand was built on clean timing, clever placement and fearless strokeplay. Rickelton’s 61 came off just 38 deliveries, while Rohit’s 50 was as classy as it was brutal. Their opening blitz helped MI post a mammoth 217/2 and left Rajasthan Royals stunned.

4. Quinton de Kock And Ishan Kishan: 116* Vs CSK, Sharjah, 2020

A clinical chase against Chennai Super Kings during the pandemic-hit 2020 season. Playing at the small Sharjah ground, MI had a modest target of 115 to hunt down and they did it in style. Ishan Kishan was in red-hot form and smashed 68* off 33 balls, including 6 fours and 5 sixes.

Quinton de Kock supported him perfectly with a composed 46*. The MI duo made a mockery of CSK’s bowling attack, which featured the likes of Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja. They wrapped up the win with 7.4 overs to spare, finishing at 116 without a single wicket lost.

3. Michael Hussey And Lendl Simmons: 120 Vs RR, Ahmedabad, 2014

This 2014 match saw two gifted batters absolutely boss the Rajasthan Royals attack in Ahmedabad. Lendl Simmons and Michael Hussey’s 120-run stand came with elegance and calculated aggression. Simmons, the more aggressive of the two, cracked 62 off 51 balls with 6 boundaries and 2 maximums.

Hussey chipped in with 56 off 39 balls at a strike rate close to 145. The Royals bowlers, including James Faulkner, Dhawal Kulkarni and Rajat Bhatia, couldn’t find a way through. MI ended the innings on 178/3, which they defended comfortably with disciplined bowling and won by 25 runs.

2. Sanath Jayasuriya And Sachin Tendulkar: 127 Vs KKR, Gqeberha, 2009

One for the nostalgia lovers. In 2009, during the South Africa edition of the IPL, MI legends Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya came together to decimate KKR in Port Elizabeth. The conditions suited stroke-makers and both veterans rolled back the years.

Jayasuriya was explosive up front, smashing 52 off just 32 balls with 4 sixes, while Tendulkar played the perfect anchor, finishing with 68 off 45. Their 127-run stand set the base for MI’s total of 187/6. KKR never recovered from that hammering and folded for just 95 in reply.

1. Dwayne Smith And Sachin Tendulkar: 163* Vs RR, Jaipur, 2012

A record that still stands tall. In 2012, Mumbai Indians chased down a competitive 162 without breaking a sweat. The heroes? Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith. Smith smashed an unbeaten 87 off 58 balls with 10 fours and 3 sixes, while Tendulkar held one end firmly with 58* off 51.

The two complemented each other beautifully, taking calculated risks and neutralising the threat of bowlers like Shane Watson, Brad Hogg and Shaun Tait. What made this stand special was the ease with which they chased down the target. The Royals tried everything but had no answer as MI won the game by 10 wickets.