Fans on X are praising Naman Dhir and Ryan Rickelton for their aggressive 50-run partnership that steadied Mumbai Indians (MI) during today's IPL 2026 clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk. The duo came together after Mumbai lost opener Will Jacks early in the Powerplay. They shifted the momentum with a "blazing" 24-ball stand, dominated by boundaries and five sixes from Rickelton. They stitched together a partnership of 50 runs in 24 balls.
Rickelton was the primary aggressor, continuing his red-hot form after his record-breaking 123* against SRH just two days ago. He leaned heavily on his power-hitting, launching five sixes without a single boundary to reach 37 off 24 balls. This "maximum-only" approach put immense pressure on CSK's pace attack, specifically Prashant Veer, who conceded 18 runs in a single over during this period. Naman Dhir provided the necessary support from the other end, contributing a brisk 27 off 16 balls.
This performance is a rare bright spot in a difficult campaign for Mumbai Indians. Before today's match, the five-time champions had managed only two wins from eight games and were coming off heavy losses to CSK (by 103 runs) and SRH.
Ryan Rickelton leads the counter attack 15 runs of the 3rd over to give MI something to cheer in the early part of the power play..!!!๐ฅ
โ Mohd Faizy (@ansarifaizy08) May 2, 2026
Ryan Rickelton can be a long term player for Mumbai Indians, we should not drop him again after just 2-3 failures. Instill confidence & make him secure about his position in the team by backing him (then he can do wonders) & not make him insecure by keeping a hanging sword.
โ Vipul ๐๐ฟ (@Vipul_Espeaks) May 2, 2026
Ryan Rickelton 37 off 24 Balls, 5 Huge Sixes.๐ pic.twitter.com/xnujRVKQua
โ Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) May 2, 2026
Naman dhir walks in ๐ Greatest to play at no.3 ๐ฅ#CSKvsMI
โ Shiv ๐ฎ๐ณ (@stump_out) May 2, 2026
Naman Dhir got a lifeline after a simple catch was dropped by Shivam Dube ๐ฌ Noor Ahmadโs bowling gave Reckalton a second chance โ and he made the most of it ๐ฅ Small moments like these changing the whole momentum of the game ๐ฅ#CSKvsMI #IPL2026
โ Cricket Hub (@pah_thra) May 2, 2026
This was some shot by Naman Dhir, hitting our best bowler Anshul Kamboj for a six. pic.twitter.com/4isdP1hxfw
โ Abhishek Kumar (@Abhishek060722) May 2, 2026
Noor Ahmed dismisses Ryan Rickelton in his first over
Noor Ahmad's first over turned the tide of the match just as Mumbai Indians (MI) were starting to dominate. After being brought into the attack for the 7th over, Noor immediately made his presence felt at a packed Chepauk stadium. On the fourth ball of his opening over (6.4), Noor tossed up a full delivery outside off stump, tempting Ryan Rickelton into his signature slog sweep. Having already smashed five sixes, Rickelton went for another big hit but couldn't get a clean connection this time.
He got a bit of a top edge, sending a high-arching shot directly toward Urvil Patel at deep backward square leg. Patel maintained his composure to take a safe catch, ending Rickelton's aggressive knock of 37 runs from 24 balls. The over was almost even more successful for Noor and CSK. Just two balls before dismissing Rickelton, the Afghan spinner forced a miscue from Naman Dhir that should have been a regulation catch. However, Shivam Dube shell-shocked the crowd by dropping an absolute "dolly" at short third-man. Despite the frustration of that dropped chance, Noor only had to wait a few more moments to provide the breakthrough CSK desperately needed.
