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NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians batter Quinton de Kock made a shocking return as opener for Mumbai Indians after 5 years, stepping up within the absence of Rohit Sharma of their IPL 2026 conflict in opposition to Punjab Kings on Thursday.With Rohit dominated out as a result of a hamstring damage, MI reshuffled their batting order, selling De Kock to the highest, a job he final held within the 2021 season. The transfer paid off immediately. The left-hander appeared in full management, mentioning a fluent half-century in simply 28 balls and anchoring the innings early on.
Throughout his knock, De Kock additionally achieved a serious milestone. His twenty fifth IPL fifty as a delegated wicketkeeper-batter took him previous MS Dhoni (24 fifties), putting him second on the all-time checklist behind KL Rahul.
Most 50-plus scores by a delegated WK in IPL
- 31 – KL Rahul
- 25 – Quinton de Kock*
- 24 – MS Dhoni
- 21 – Dinesh Karthik
- 21 – Rishabh Pant
- 20 – Sanju Samson
The landmark got here with a peaceful single off Yuzvendra Chahal, as he raised his bat to acknowledge the gang.The innings was essential for Mumbai, who have been already coping with disruptions. Rohit’s absence had created a management and batting void on the prime, whereas Mitchell Santner was additionally unavailable as a result of sickness. Captain Hardik Pandya had confirmed earlier than the match that Rohit would miss “a few video games”, forcing the workforce to rethink mixtures.De Kock’s composed knock not solely stabilised the innings but in addition underlined his worth as a versatile top-order batter. In a high-pressure scenario, his expertise ensured MI didn’t lose early momentum, even because the workforce continues to navigate key absences in IPL 2026.
