“I told him this season, I said, ‘enough hopping of the franchises. I want you to be here for the rest of your career.’ He’s a character. He has a big heart. The way he comes out and kind of always tries to outsmart a batter, simply brilliant and really happy for him,” MI skipper Hardik Pandya gushed in praise for Thakur after the match.

“I was a net bowler and an upcoming boy who has been with the team in 2010, 2011, 2012 seasons. Quietly bowling here, making my mark and since then it was always going to happen, but it finally happened that I am in Mumbai Indians playing for my home team, so it feels special. I will be very happy if I stay here. It’s home city and the kind of backing that I had coming here, it was amazing. So, thank you to the entire Mumbai Indians family also for backing me, trading me from LSG and straightaway awarding me in the first game,” Shardul said.

In the match, Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma slammed quickfire fifties to hand Mumbai Indians a comfortable six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders. Chasing 221, Rickelton (81 off 43 balls) and Rohit (78 off 38 balls) shared a breezy 148-run opening stand off just 71 balls to set the platform for the win which MI achieved in 19.1 overs, reaching 224 for four. It was also a record chase by MI at home ground. While Rickelton hit four boundaries and eight sixes, Rohit knock was laced with six fours and as many maximums.