'We've got a base now; now we try taking steps after it' - Ryan Rickelton after MI's first win of IPL 2025

Mumbai Indians (MI) finally registered their first win of IPL 2025, defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday evening. The victory was particularly special for South African batter Ryan Rickelton, who scored an unbeaten 62 off 41 balls. After two low scores in his first two outings, Rickelton's innings gave him a significant boost for the games to come.

The Southpaw, who has been one of South Africa’s young talents, faced a tough start in the IPL. With scores of just 13 and 6 in his first two innings, he was looking to make the most of the opportunity of the start he got against KKR. 

"The pressure factor internally is big but externally is huge. It wasn't as fluent as I would have liked it to be, but I'll take it. We've got a base now; now we try taking steps after it. I knew it was going to swing around a little bit. I didn't expect it to do that much for a period of time. Throughout the whole 40 overs [29.1 is all it took] it was a bit sticky. Our bowlers adjusted really well and our batters adjusted really well too. The first two games were tricky, on some tough wickets, but to get out here in Mumbai, have Spencer [Johnson, the KKR opening bowler] turn me inside out was quite a tough battle to get through. But once I managed to get through that it was really pleasing to get a score. Bit more relief than anything. To get two points on the board is great for the team," said at the post-match press conference.

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I just wanted to get a score and ease the nerves down: Ryan Rickelton

The South African mentioned about opening alongside Rohit Sharma and contributing to the team in whichever way possible. Rickelton specified that he had some time to get set and then go on to play his shots.

"Obviously, opening the batting for Mumbai Indians with Rohit Sharma, there's always going to be pressure internally and obviously externally as well. So, just for myself, I wanted to contribute to the team and did that. "I was just trying not to chop it on, in all honesty. I was a bit nervous. I just wanted to get a score and ease the nerves down. It was a relatively low [target], so I knew I could afford a bit of time, an extra couple of balls to try and get through. Great, I got one or two boundaries away and it just got the scoreboard going. I knew if I could face 18 to 20 balls, I could at least have some sort of impact on the game. Luckily, I managed to get us through," he added.

The match also saw a brilliant performance from IPL debutant Ashwani Kumar, who took 4 for 24 and was named Player of the Match. With their first win secured, Mumbai Indians will be looking to build momentum as they prepare to face Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on April 4.