Rohit Sharma set to miss IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in blow for Mumbai Indians: Report
Rohit Sharma suffered an injury to his hamstring during the Mumbai Indians' clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Wankhede. Sharma went off the field, retired hurt while batting in the second innings of the clash.
Mumbai Indians talisman Rohit Sharma is all set to miss his team's upcoming IPL 2026 clash against the Punjab Kings, Cricbuzz reported. Sharma had suffered a hamstring injury during MI's previous game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Wankhede. The report stated that "Rohit Sharma is all but ruled out of selection" for the PBKS game.
"The medical team and the coaching staff are assessing him, and we will get to know," a team official said during MI's training session on Wednesday, the report further stated.
Rohit misses practice session
Notably, Rohit was not part of MI's practice session on the eve of the game. The session was optional as Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult also missed it, but his absence raised questions. Rohit came for a bit of running at the Wankhede on Wednesday evening but was seen holding his right thigh at times.
Who can open in Rohit's absence?
Rohit's potential absence would prompt MI to consider the second opener. They can call in Quinton de Kock to partner with Ryan Rickelton. MI played with three overseas players in their previous two games, which opens a slot for the fourth one. But MI have used Sherfane Rutherford as an impact sub in those games, and if they opt to go with four overseas in their Playing XI, they would not be able to use Rutherford as an impact player.
They can also go with Naman Dhir to open. He has batted higher up the order previously when needed. But Dhir said that he has not been informed of any such role. "Nothing like that has happened so far. The management is aware of everything, so we'll know tomorrow what the batting order looks like. I'm ready to bat anywhere, higher up or lower down. I've done it before, at No. 5 or No. 7, so I'm prepared for any role," Dhir said in the pre-match press conference.
MI languishing in ninth place in IPL 2026 points table
However, his absence means the Mumbai Indians will have to look for another opener. Typically, the franchise has used Naman Dhir at the top of the order for stop-gap arrangements. MI could even unleash a 22-year-old Danish Malewar from Vidarbha who bats at the top of the order. He did well in the Vidarbha Pro T20 League last year, scoring 318 runs in just six matches at an average of 79.5 and a strike rate of 161.42. He also smashed an unbeaten 120 off just 55 balls in one of the matches. It remains to be seen if the five-time champions rest Rohit and give chance to the youngster in the next game.