Mumbai Indians kick off IPL 2026 pre-season training: Details here
What's the story
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians have officially kicked off their pre-season training for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The first session was led by head coach Mahela Jayawardene, with bowling coaches Paras Mhambrey and Lasith Malinga accompanying him. Fielding coach Carl Hopkinson and the entire strength and conditioning team also participated in this initial practice session.
Coach's insight
Day 1 sets the tone for the entire campaign: Jayawardene
According to an ANI report, Jayawardene stressed the significance of the first day of pre-season training. He said, "There's always something special about the first day of pre-season. You see the players walk in, the energy builds, and the objective is to start strong." He also talked about a mix of familiar faces and exciting newcomers in this year's squad.
Pre-season goals
Wanted everyone to feel the intent: Jayawardene
Jayawardene further added, "Day one sets the tone for the entire campaign. We wanted everyone to feel the intent from the very first session." He stressed on how they train, prepare, and show up for each other. The first set of players to join the training included Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, Allah Ghazanfar, and Naman Dhir, among others. The rest of the squad is expected to join the camp in the coming days.
Information
Fitness and conditioning were at forefront
The first training session was around a structured fitness and conditioning block. The strength and conditioning (S&C) helped the players in movement drills, agility work, and fitness assessments.
Information
A look at MI squad
Squad: Hardik Pandya (captain), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Danish Malewar, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock, Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford, Corbin Bosch, Mitchell Santner, Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Markande, AM Ghazanfar, Raghu Sharma, Ashwani Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, and Mohammed Izhar.