Ryan's World: 'chemistry' with Rohit, 'healthy competition' with de Kock, and lots of runs

In an up-and-down IPL 2026 season for Mumbai Indians, Ryan Rickelton has stood out as their most consistent run-scorer, making Wankhede his backyard in the process

In a line-up packed with Indian stars, Ryan Rickelton has emerged as the standout Mumbai Indians (MI) batter in IPL 2026. He's their leading scorer with 380 runs in eight games, and has gone at 190.95, which is the second-best among the 15 batters who have 300-plus runs. He began his campaign with an 81 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), then got a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and on Monday, made a match-winning 83 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), with two of those knocks built around big partnerships with Rohit Sharma.

Rickelton credited the "chemistry" between Rohit and him for the partnerships. After his blistering 83 off 32 balls and 143-run stand with Rohit, who was returning from an injury, in a 229 chase against LSG, he said at the press conference: "I think Rohit is just really good, that's the chemistry right there. Obviously nice to get up there again with him, he's obviously been on the sideline for a bit and to see him come back and play the way he did, so free-flowing, is something quite unique. I think we complement each other really nicely as a left-hand, right-hand [pair].

"Sometimes he gets away really quickly and takes a lot of pressure off me, and sometimes I get away quickly and take a lot of pressure off him. So that was probably tonight, but I got away, and coming back from five or six games, he gave himself a few balls to just get back to batting again in his routines, and then obviously transferring that pressure onto the bowlers, and it is a dream to watch. He gets some shots that I could only have in my wildest dreams. But when he is in full flow, you know, it's a treat that he takes the pressure off you, so I do enjoy it."RelatedGame lost, but Rickelton's 'presence was important for MI'

Rohit and Rickelton power MI to win over rock-bottom LSG

Since joining MI in 2025, Rickelton and Rohit have batted together 18 times, aggregating 825 with three century stands and two fifty stands.

"[I] probably picked his [Rohit's] brain a little bit more first year, just about batting in general, not necessarily T20 batting - Tests and 50-over batting and the specifics of the mentality around it," Rickelton said. "I think he's just a little different, like I said, he's one of the greatest to play the game. And it's never always life-changing advice that you get. It's stuff that you've heard through different paths as you kind of work your way through the game.

"It's just more how he manages pressure, how he stays calm and how he backs his ability and understands his game really well. So, it's always really cool to be going out there to bat with one of India's greatest, and hopefully I can continue to do it for some time to come."

Rickelton's overall T20 returns this year have been impressive, with 931 runs in 21 matches at a strike rate of 171.13. He has enjoyed batting at the Wankhede Stadium more than at other grounds, averaging 54.50 in 12 IPL games with one century and four half-centuries.1:29What was the impact of Rohit's absence for MI?

"I guess I owe a lot to Rahul Sanghvi [team manager and scouting head] as well," Rickelton told the broadcaster. "He was telling me that my game suits this ground coming from Johannesburg at the Wanderers, where you get a lot of similar pace and bounce. I didn't believe it when he was telling me what this pitch would turn out to be for me.

"I really enjoy it. There's nice pace in it. You get great value for shots and the ball really flies here. So, kind of adapted my game around our home venue, always looking to get better, especially when we travel. But if I can have a good, firm stake in the ground at the stadium, I'm quite happy with that."

Rickelton began the season ahead of compatriot Quinton de Kock, later partnering him in Rohit's absence, before briefly missing out and returning when de Kock was sidelined with a wrist injury. The "healthy" competition brought its own pressures, in Rickelton's opinion.Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton added 143 for the first wicket•Associated Press

"It's been tricky to have a guy of Quinny's calibre sitting on the bench at the start of the season," he said. "It was tricky to manage mentally because maybe you're burning yourself with a bit more pressure to do well because you have a guy who's flippin' good sitting behind you, and the whole world's screaming to pick him. So to try and manage your way through that has a little bit of challenges and you can put yourself under a bit too much pressure.

"But on the flip side of that, I got an opportunity when he did some damage to his hand and I still backed my game, I still backed my skill, and the opportunity was there. We're very supportive of each other. I mean, he was the first person to absolutely abuse me tonight for not getting a hundred, which I agree with him. He's very supportive. He's helped me a lot this tournament. He's watched my batting and he's tweaking things along the way to help."

Rickelton has made sure to align with the broader IPL trend of maximising the powerplay in times when totals are soaring, on display during his knock against LSG. "The IPL is ridiculous in the way that these chases are being done," he said. "Like Surya [Suryakumar Yadav] said, I heard him say, 'if you have a good start, just set the platform'. And I think that's the trend in this team.

"We might not have lived up to it so far this year. But the power that we have, you know, from three down to [Nos.] 7, 8, 9, the batters and the class and the calibre we have is through the roof. So I know that if we can set a good platform, we win the powerplay. I wouldn't say my job is done, but, you know, with the class that we have lined up behind, it makes my role a lot clearer for me."