Mumbai Indians batter Ryan Rickelton had some strong words for Suryakumar Yadav after the match on Monday. He called Suryakumar a joke, saying he does things he could only dream of, especially after Suryakumar hit a quick 27 runs off just 9 balls to help the team chase down 117 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium.
This win marked Mumbai’s first of IPL 2025, thanks in part to their bowlers, who limited Kolkata to just 116 runs. Rickelton was impressed by one shot Suryakumar played—a scoop over fine leg that left bowler Andre Russell in disbelief. “I just told Quinny that he’s a joke. He’s played that shot a million times. It’s unique, and I’m not going to try it anytime soon. I’m just glad he’s on our team,” Rickelton mentioned after the game.
Suryakumar wrapped up the chase with a six off Russell in the 13th over. Rickelton, taking on the roles of both opener and wicketkeeper, had a shaky start to his IPL career but made the most of this chance. “I took my time; I was struggling to connect at first. I had to wait for my moment. The ball was moving around a bit today, and I chatted with the guys back in South Africa about how it did that there too. I was ready to take advantage of the pace,” Rickelton said during the post-match chat.
Mumbai won the match by eight wickets, bouncing back after two losses to kick off IPL 2025. Ashwani Kumar made headlines with a record four wickets on his IPL debut, finishing with 4 for 24 and tearing through Kolkata’s batting lineup. The 23-year-old from Punjab is now the first Indian to take four wickets on his IPL debut.
