The duo hit fifties in the South Africa vs Afghanistan clash.
The IPL 2026 is still a couple of months away but Mumbai Indians already have a tough decision to make as they look to clinch their sixth trophy. Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton have been in excellent form and they have carried that into the T20 World Cup 2026.
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In the IPL 2026 auction, Mumbai Indians had acquired Quinton de Kock for a base price of INR 1 crore. A year earlier, they had bought Ryan Rickelton, who was the designated wicketkeeper opener for the 2025 edition. Their current international form is what we can call a good headache to have.
The Mumbai Indians pair was in full flow In the SA vs AFG T20 World Cup 2026 encounter on Wednesday. Batting first, South Africa lost Aiden Markram early before the duo added 114 runs for the second wicket.
De Kock struck 59 off 41 balls, laced with five fours and three sixes. Ryan Rickelton smashed 61 off just 28 balls, including five fours and four maximums. Their knocks helped the Proteas put 187/6 on the board. They have pretty similar batting styles and watching them together in that mood was like a dance of the dragons.
Speaking of their recent run, de Kock has been sensational since taking a U-turn on his international retirement. He has made 383 runs in the last seven innings at an average of 54 while striking at 182. He also had an excellent SA20 season, where he top scored with 390 runs at 39 average and 148 strike rate.
Rickelton was initially left out of the South Africa T20 World Cup squad but his form in the SA20 forced the management to bring him in as a replacement. Since then, he has blasted 226 runs from five innings at a strike rate of 182. In the SA20, he accumulated 337 runs at an average of 42 and strike rate of 156.
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Mumbai Indians had made a decision to use their only remaining overseas slot in the IPL 2026 auction on de Kock. The reason for that was Rickelton was going through a torrid time and they needed another wicket-keeper option. But things have changed.
What the pair’s recent international form does is put a pressure on them to make the right choice between them. With both batters performing at the same level ahead of the IPL 2026, it’s not an easy choice to make. On one hand, they have a proven IPL performer in de Kock. While on the other, they have a batter with potentially higher upside.
Only one of them can play in the Mumbai Indians playing XI. Whoever the franchise picks to start the season with, they have to persist with him for a stretch of games. One thing for sure that they will be delighted to have two in-form options at their disposal.
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