However, “the pressure factor internally is big but externally is huge,” as Ryan Rickelton put it after Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets at home at the Wankhede Stadium in their IPL 2025 match on Monday night, so an undefeated 62 in 41 balls in a winning cause does help. In your first two innings of your maiden IPL season, scores of 13 and 6 can be concerning. You may begin to wonder if there will be another opportunity. particularly if you are one of your team’s four foreign players.
“It wasn’t as fluent as I would have liked it to be, but I’ll take it” when Rickelton finally found runs, and “we’ve got a base now; now we try taking steps after it” after MI won for the first time.
Rickelton, one of South Africa’s breakout stars in all formats over the past year, received some sort of subcontinental batting training during the Champions Trophy. He scored a 106-ball 103 against Afghanistan in Karachi, reminding Sanjay Bangar of Quinton de Kock, another South African keeper-batter who has played a significant role in the IPL for many years.
Bangar stated on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show that “not only in terms of skills, being a left-hand batter and a wicketkeeper, even the mechanics that he has are quite similar to what Quinton de Kock has.” “And the way he batted in the Champions Trophy—he made a hundred there and was excellent against spin—was what impressed me the most. remains low. He took a very subcontinental stance against spin.
Following the victory, Rickelton told reporters, “I knew it was going to swing around a little bit,” on Monday. “For a while, I didn’t think it would accomplish that much. It was a little sticky for the entire 40 overs [29.1 is all it took]. Both our hitters and our bowlers made excellent adjustments.
“It was a difficult battle to get out here in Mumbai and have Spencer [Johnson, the KKR opening bowler] turn me inside out, even if the first two games were challenging with some difficult wickets. However, it was quite satisfying to receive a score once I passed that. More relief than anything else. It’s fantastic for the team to score two points.
How about pressure? “I didn’t have anything for lunch, I just had a banana” was the statement made by Ashwani Kumar, the Player of the Match and IPL debutant that evening, due to his tension. Rickelton had to perform well, didn’t he? He had two chances and was unable to take advantage of them.
Rickelton laughed, “I was just trying not to chop it on, in all honesty,” when asked about the pressure element. “I felt a little anxious. All I wanted was to achieve a score and calm myself. I knew I could spend a little more time and a few more balls to try to get through because the [target] was comparatively low. Fantastic, I removed one or two limits, and the scoreboard simply started to move. I was aware that I could at least influence the game in some way if I could face 18 to 20 balls. Fortunately, I got us through.
“The IPL has really high standards, and things are changing all the time. When I turned on the TV a year ago, I noticed that teams were receiving 260 and that it was a free-for-all. However, it’s not so simple when you come down. It is evident that several grounds share Indian traits. The pressure factor is high on the outside but low on the inside. Additionally, you are competing against some of the top players in the world, both on the team and nationally.
“I won’t lie: it’s difficult. Therefore, I’m simply trying to figure out how to get over that and change my approach to give myself the best chance of succeeding for the team.”
Now, however, it’s “a massive relief,” as Rickelton repeatedly stated after hitting five sixes in his innings.
“There will undoubtedly be pressure from both the inside and the outside as Rohit Sharma opens the batting for the Mumbai Indians. Therefore, I wanted to help the team just for myself, which I did,” he stated. “However, captain Hardik [Pandya] was more focused on increasing [the] intensity today, saying, ‘This is our home ground, we need to be better.'” I believe we took it to the next level. It was more intense. I’m aware that we missed a few catches, but the defence was also superior, and the batting was clearly effective.
The runs are in the bag, but more needs to be overcome in order for them to continue. The inaugural season of the IPL is very difficult.
“The IPL’s a different beast on its own,” Rickelton remarked. “It’s different for me to cognitively comprehend that; try to fit in with the group. Fortunately, there are some familiar faces present as well, which eases the transition.
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