IPL 2026: Rohit Sharma will smash KKR bowling like 'halwa', former cricketer's remark goes viral

Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 curtain-raiser against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday has already sparked a social-media storm after former India opener Kris Srikkanth predicted Rohit Sharma will “smash their bowling like eating halwa.” Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth recalled how KKR “used to be like halwa for Rohit Sharma a few years back” and labelled the franchise the batter’s “badam halwa team,” insisting the 38-year-old slips into a “comfort zone” whenever the purple-and-gold opposition is in town.

The numbers lend weight to the colourful analogy. Across 30 innings against KKR, Rohit has amassed 1,083 runs at a strike rate of 127.86, including six fifties and one unbeaten century. His 109 not out at Eden Gardens remains the high-water mark, while at the Wankhede he has pocketed 238 runs against the Knights at 120.81. Yet the narrative is not one-way: Sunil Narine has troubled Rohit in past duels and will again be KKR’s go-to trump card.

Although Rohit’s last half-century against KKR dates back to 2020, his recent gear-shift is impossible to ignore. After hovering around a 133 strike rate between 2016 and 2023, he surged to 150 in 2024 and 149.28 in 2025, signalling a more aggressive avatar that Mumbai will hope ends their five-year title drought. The last of their five trophies came in 2020; last season, under Hardik Pandya’s leadership, they fell to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 and finished third.

Sunday’s clash also marks the first look at a star-studded MI core fresh from India’s T20 World Cup triumph. Suryakumar Yadav, Pandya, Tilak Varma and Jasprit Bumrah headline a squad eager to turn early momentum into late-tournament silverware. For Rohit, the stage is set to turn Srikkanth’s viral prophecy into a Wankhede reality.