India, March 29 -- Mumbai Indians begin their IPL 2026 season at Wankhede against an opponent that has long brought the best out of Rohit Sharma. For all the noise around a fresh season, new combinations and early pressure, this fixture arrives with a very old and very stubborn statistical backdrop: Rohit has consistently hurt Kolkata Knight Riders over the years, and Mumbai have generally enjoyed this rivalry too.

That is what gives the build-up its weight. Rohit heads into the match with 1,083 runs against KKR in the IPL, one of the highest tallies any batter has managed against a single opposition in the tournament. He has scored those runs at a strike rate of 127.86, with six fifties and one hundred, and his best remains an unbeaten ...