Sharma and Rickelton lead Mumbai to 6-wicket win over Kolkata in IPL

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Openers Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma hit aggressive half-centuries to lead Mumbai Indians to a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL on Sunday with five balls remaining.

Rickelton scored 81 off 43 balls with eight sixes while Sharma hit 78 off 38, including six sixes, as Mumbai went on to win with 224-4 in 19.1 overs. It was the highest run-chase at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in an Indian Premier League game.

Earlier, after losing the toss, Kolkata skipper Ajinkya Rahane scored 67 off 40 balls, with five sixes, providing the base for his side’s challenging 220-4 in 20 overs. Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit 51 off 29 deliveries and Shardul Thakur picked up 3-39 for Mumbai.

Chasing 221, Mumbai set a hectic pace – Rickelton and Sharma put on 148 runs off 71 balls for the first wicket, including 80-0 in the powerplay.

Sharma sped to 50 off 23 balls. Rickelton reached his half century off 24 balls as Kolkata’s bowling didn’t have any answers.

Vaibhav Arora got the breakthrough in the 12th over when Sharma was out after Anukul Roy took a wonderful catch running back to midwicket.

India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav walked in at No. 3 as the impact player and scored 16 off eight balls before holing out to the square leg boundary.

Rickelton was run out in the 16th over, with Mumbai suffering a minor hiccup at 184-3, down from 148-0.

Tilak Varma (20) and Hardik Pandya (18 not out) made sure that the five-time champions won their opening game of the season – a first since the 2012 IPL season.

Kolkata openers Finn Allen and Rahane put on 69 off 32 balls.

Allen scored 37 off 17, including six fours and two sixes, while Rahane reached his 50 off 27 balls. Kolkata scored 78-1 in the powerplay, with Allen caught in the sixth over off Thakur.

Returning to the Mumbai camp this season, Thakur also accounted for Cameron Green (18) and later Rahane in the 14th over.

At 145-3, Kolkata’s innings was nearly derailed before Raghuvanshi played a rescuing hand. He hit six fours and two sixes, racing to 50 off 28 balls. Vice-captain Rinku Singh was 33 not out off 21.

The duo put on 60 off 30 balls for the fourth wicket to help Kolkata cross 200. But the team's bowling didn’t match its batting efforts on Sunday evening.

On Monday, it's Rajasthan Royals vs. Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Mumbai Indians' Jasprit Bumrah reacts after bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai, India, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma walks back to dressing room after loosing his wicket during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai, India, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai, India, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Mumbai Indians’ Shardul Thakur celebrates the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain Ajinkya Rahane during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai, India, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma, left, and Ryan Rickelton run between the wickets during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai, India, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.

But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”

U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.

The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.

Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.

Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.

Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”

About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.

The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.

Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.

Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”

Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)