Rohit Sharma during practice session. (Photo Credits: X)
The cricket carnival is all set to return as the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is all set to kickstart from March 28 with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener in Bengaluru. The fixtures have been announced for the first phase which will be played till April 12.
Mumbai Indians will commence their tournament against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29 at Wankhede Stadium against Kolkata Knight Riders. The side will then travel to Delhi to face the Capitals on April 4 before moving to Guwahati to take on Rajasthan Royals on April 7.
The Hardik Pandya-led side will return home for their last fixture in the first phase and will lock horns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 12.
Former skipper Rohit Sharma will be back in action during the IPL 2026. While the right-handed batter had a decent run in the ODI series against South Africa, he did have a lean patch against New Zealand. Sharma has already bid adieu to T20Is and Tests and is focusing on ODIs. But he has continued to play the IPL.
Rohit Sharma didn’t have a great run in the IPL 2025 where he scored 418 run sin 15 matches at an average of 29.85. The right-hander did get four fifties during the course. Though, he was largely used as an Impact Player last season due to fitness niggles. MI would seek a bit more contribution from him to get a steady start at the top.
“Rohit, the way we managed him last year, obviously he had a few niggles as well, so you just needed to manage that. And the thing is 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 on the field as much as I can,” Mahela Jayawardene said at an event.
The Mumbai Indians have already given the captaincy to Hardik Pandya under whom they reached the playoffs last year. Rohit’s form in the previous edition wasn’t a great one as mentioned above. The form wasn’t the only issue last year but it was fitness as well. MI would need an opener who could provide them with brisk yet stable starts.
At the moment, they have Ryan Rickleton and Quinton de Kock along side Rohit in the squad who can open the innings. But having two overseas players at the top take fill up two slots out of the four. They would need an Indian player.
With Ishan Kishan set to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in absence of Pat Cummins in initial stage of the tournament this year, it seems SRH are looking at him for longer time in the unit. But in case, he comes into the auction, MI might get an Indian opener who can also keep wickets from them. Moreover, he has the captaincy experience having led his state side to Syed Mushtaq Ali title win in December last year. Hardik has already taken that position but Ishan can be a vital cog in the when as far as the leadership group is concerned. Also, he has played for the franchise earlier as well.
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