The South African wicketkeeper batter Quinton de Kock was given a spot in the starting squad for the first time this season and he made it count with a sensational century under pressure. Quinton de Kock has
scored the 3rd century of his IPL career.The wickets kept tumbling at the other end as Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav were dismissed for low scores. Nevertheless, he kept his composure and ensured that the run rate didn't slow down and he took the Mumbai Indians into a final total.
The Mumbai Indians did miss the presence of Rohit Sharma at the top but as the saying goes “ One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity”. Quinton de Kock has taken advantage of the injury of the former Mumbai Indians captain and he might just have cemented his spot in the starting squad.
Well, that’s how you make a return. 😎 A stunning shot from Quinton de Kock on his very first ball. 💙#TATAIPL | #IPLRivalryWeek 2026 ➡️ #MIvPBKS | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/wnST8NL0i2 pic.twitter.com/6VBKSz8ZrW
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 16, 2026
Quinton de Kock’s ton and crucial partnership revive MI innings after early setbacks
The Mumbai Indians haven’t been at their best this season as they have won just one game so far. The form of the middle order batters have been their primary area of concern as Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma are yet to fire this season. They are currently seated at the 9th spot this season and they had to make this match count. They were hit with an injury blow as well as Rohit Sharma was injured . They decided to give Quinton de Kock a chance to open along with Ryan Rickelton.
Quinton de Kock looked in good rhythm from the start and it didn’t feel like he was batting for the first time this season. He did face some pressure earlier on as Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed off successive deliveries by Arshdeep Singh. But then Naman Dhir and Quinton de Kock stitched a partnership of 122 runs, to pull the game back into the favour of Mumbai Indians. Quinton de Kock reached his century in just 53 balls and he achieved the milestone with a cheeky shot behind the back.
The Punjab Kings will be disappointed that they let the game slip especially with the sloppy fielding from Yuzvendra Chahal to drop the catch of Naman Dhir. With some firepower still to come in the Mumbai Indians batting unit, a 200+ score could be on the cards.
