Rohit Sharma as Impact Player in IPL 2026? Jayawardene answers
What's the story
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians officially kicked off their pre-season training for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season this week. With 11 days remaining for the commencement, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene has hinted at Rohit Sharma's potential role. In IPL 2025, Rohit played as an impact player, missing out on fielding duties in several matches. However, Jayawardene clarified that he wants to keep Rohit on the field as much as possible this time.
Strategy explained
Jayawardene on Rohit's role
At a recent event, Jayawardene said that Rohit played as an impact Player last year as he had a "few niggles." "He's still making a huge impact on the team whether he's on the field or not. But, definitely, this year, I want to keep him more on the field as much as I can," said the MI head coach.
Role speculation
Why Rohit could be the impact player
Jayawardene hinted that Rohit could play as an impact player to give MI captain Hardik Pandya some more bowling options. "If the captain needs that option on the field, it's something that I have to look at and discuss depending on the opposition that we're playing... The 2 guys who are not all-rounders at the moment are Rohit and Surya (Suryakumar Yadav). So, can you help me with that decision-making process?" added Jayawardene.
Season opener
MI's IPL 2026 opener and squad
MI will kickstart their IPL 2026 campaign on March 29 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium. 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.