Rohit Sharma will miss a couple of games in IPL 2026 Image Credit: ANI
MI vs PBKS: It was the Punjab Kings who won the toss at Wankhede Stadium, but the biggest news came from the Mumbai Indians camp. The MI captain, Hardik Pandya, provided a confirmation on Rohit Sharma’s fitness while announcing that the right-handed batter will not be playing today’s game against the Punjab Kings. The opening batter who suffered a hamstring injury against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the previous game will be replaced by Quinton de Kock. Additionally, Pandya revealed that Rohit will be missing a couple of games as he tries to regain fitness.
Rohit Sharma’s importance in the Mumbai Indians setup cannot be overstated. The former skipper has been the highest run-getter and also led them to five championships. However, as the five-time champions suffer a poor run of results, they will be without their ace batter. It was revealed by the MI captain that Rohit will miss a couple of games to regain full fitness. South Africa’s Quinton de Kock replaced Rohit at the top of the order. De Kock had formerly played for the five-time champions in the past. However, the left-handed batter will be playing his first game this season.
Quinton de Kock, in the past, has played for the Mumbai Indians for three seasons. In 44 games for the five-time champions, the left-handed batter scored 1,329 runs. There will be doubt in saying that De Kock enjoyed most of his success with the Mumbai Indians. He averaged 34.07 during his previous stint at the franchise, while striking at 131.32. As he replaces Rohit Sharma in the side, the pressure will be immense on the 33-year-old.
He got off the mark and struck a six on the first ball he faced in the IPL 2026.
Rohit Sharma has been one of the best players in the history of the IPL. While his record as a batter might not be as impressive as some of his peers, Rohit’s captaincy puts him in the history books of the Indian Premier League. The 38-year-old has won five titles for the Mumbai Indians. With the bat in hand, Rohit Sharma has scored 6,286 runs in 240 games, averaging just a touch under 30. He has a strike rate of 137.72, having hit a couple of centuries and 41 fifties for the team.
It was a quiet start to the clash at the Wankhede Stadium. Arshdeep Singh, bowling the first over, gave only a single run in six balls. Punjab Kings made a huge change in their bowling tactics. In the previous games, it was Xavier Bartlett who had taken the new ball, but today it was Marco Jansen who bowled the second over. The move did not work for PBKS as Quinton de Kock struck a huge six with 11 runs coming off the over. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh struck on his first ball of the second over and dismissed Ryan Rickelton. He picked up his 100th wicket in the IPL. The left-arm pacer picked up Suryakumar Yadav on the very next ball to pick two wickets in two balls.
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