Mumbai, April 16 (NationPress) In his debut match for the Mumbai Indians, Quinton de Kock delivered a stunning performance, scoring an unbeaten century and forming a crucial 123-run partnership with Naman Dhir (50), leading the team to a formidable total of 195/6 against the Punjab Kings in Match 24 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.

After remaining on the bench for the first four games of the season while the Mumbai management opted for the younger wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton, De Kock seized his chance, scoring 112 not out and becoming only the third player in IPL history to hit centuries for three different franchises. He joined the elite company of KL Rahul and Sanju Samson after reaching the three-figure mark in just 53 balls.

With Rohit Sharma absent due to a hamstring injury from the previous match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the Mumbai Indians introduced a new opening combination with De Kock teaming up with his fellow South African, Rickelton.

However, the strategy backfired as Mumbai found themselves in trouble at 12/2 after Arshdeep Singh struck twice in consecutive deliveries, dismissing Rickelton and Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav for a first-ball duck. Rickelton (2) fell first, miscuing a length ball to Shashing Singh at deep backward square leg, marking Arshdeep's 100th IPL wicket in the 87th match.

The left-arm pacer quickly made it 101 wickets when he sent Suryakumar Yadav packing, who drove a delivery straight to Yuzvendra Chahal.

Then, Quinton de Kock and Naman Dhir turned the match on its head, with the South African opener scoring a magnificent century in his first game for the Mumbai Indians, hitting seven boundaries and as many sixes, reaching the milestone off 53 balls.

De Kock found excellent support from Naman Dhir as the duo resurrected the innings, accumulating 123 runs for the third wicket after the early collapse.

De Kock, displaying his aggressive style, capitalized on a missed run-out chance by Shreyas Iyer. He opened his innings with a spectacular six and reached his fifty in just 28 balls, targeting Chahal with two sixes off the mystery spinner.

Naman Dhir, batting at No.4, took advantage of his luck after being dropped by Chahal early on, scoring a half-century by punishing Vijaykumar Vyshak for two fours and a six in the final over of the power play. They collectively reached 100 runs off their partnership, with Dhir completing his fifty shortly after.

De Kock continued to thrive, increasing the scoring rate after his fifty, hitting Shashank Singh for successive sixes before reaching his century with a total of seven fours and as many sixes in a standout innings.

Sadly, Mumbai lost skipper Hardik Pandya (14 off 12), caught in a spectacular manner by PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer, who leaped to catch the ball with the tip of his left hand and tossed it back into play while airborne, allowing Xavier Bartlett to complete the catch. This sensational moment, celebrated animatedly in front of the home crowd, helped PBKS restrict Mumbai to under 200.

While attempting to increase the scoring, Sherfane Rutherford was dismissed cheaply for one, with Arshdeep Singh claiming his third wicket of the night.

De Kock remained steadfast, and despite the loss of Tilak Varma in the final over due to a run-out, he guided the team close to the 200-run mark.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 195/6 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 112 not out, Naman Dhir 50; Arshdeep Singh 3-22) against Punjab Kings