Netizens had mixed reactions to Mumbai Indians’ start against the Punjab Kings in IPL 2026. Both teams locked horns in the 58th league-stage clash of the season at the HPCA Stadium on Thursday, May 14. After being asked to bat first, the Punjab Kings rode on Prabhsimran Singh’s 57 off 32 and Azmatullah Omarzai’s 38 off 17 to post 200 runs with the loss of eight wickets. After a powerful display of bowling prowess, the Blue and Gold Army was aiming to continue the momentum under the leadership of stand-in skipper, Jasprit Bumrah.
However, in the second innings, things didn’t exactly go as planned. While Ryan Rickelton got off to a blistering start, former skipper Rohit Sharma was seemingly slugging. By the end of the first six overs, the Indians
were at 59 without any loss, with Sharma batting at 12 (15) and Rickelton at 47 (21). By the end of the 10th over, the five-time champions were at 89 with the loss of three wickets. Sharma, Rickelton and Naman Dhir were back in the hut with 25, 48 and 9 runs, respectively.
Netizens react to Mumbai Indians’ slow start against PBKS
The slugging start of the Indians drew reactions from fans and while a few lauded Ryan Rickelton for giving the side a good start, others pointed out Rohit Sharma’s slow form. Not only this, but some fans also pointed out how PBKS failed to pick even one wicket in the powerplay. Here are some of the reactions-
What is happening with Punjab Kings? They were playing the best cricket in the first phase, but now they look completely off rhythm, If they lose to Mumbai Indians tonight, qualifing for the playoffs could become very difficult for them 😏
— Danish (@BhttDNSH100) May 14, 2026
Ryan Rickelton 🏏🔥 48 runs 23 balls 4 Fours 4 Sixes This innings kept Mumbai Indians firmly in the chase. An innings full of intent, clarity and fearless strokeplay from the very beginning. 👏#PBKSvsMI#OneFamily #Paltan #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/l0cTErNHwS
— Bijendra B Rajput (@brajput868) May 14, 2026
what is Rohit Sharma even doing . 😕😕😕 Mumbai Indians is waiting for what. Sack him man next year
— ! (@mylife_005) May 14, 2026
Rohit Sharma saving the collapse of Mumbai Indians 😭 Unreal goat. #PBKSvsMI pic.twitter.com/uV4X8JoAIY
— jb82 (@jbethell_82) May 14, 2026
Rohit Sharma's selfish tuktuk innings cost Mumbai Indians a valuable wicket of Ryan Rickelton pic.twitter.com/2ky4QvE8zG
— 𝚅𝚊𝚛𝚞𝚗¹⁸ (@varunx18) May 14, 2026
At the time of writing, Tilak Varma was batting at 9 (5), while Sherfane Rutherford was at 2 (4).
