Will the Mumbai Indians (MI) continue using Rohit Sharma as their impact player? MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene was posed this question on the same day Rohit joined the pre-season training camp for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Last season, MI opted to send the former captain out during the bowling innings if batting first and vice versa while chasing. Reports suggested that Rohit’s knee injury, due to which he missed one match, was the main reason behind his usage.
But some even claimed that Rohit’s fitness was the reason. He’d gained some weight and wasn’t the sharpest in the field. This turned out to be true since the 38-year-old underwent a physical transformation last year, losing 10 kilograms after the IPL ended in early June.
Rohit Sharma’s role in IPL 2026
How will MI use Rohit in IPL 2026? Jayawardene stated that even last year, the 5-time champions didn’t want to bench the veteran opener, but he was dealing with injuries. Moreover, since they only have 2 out-and-out batters, one of them, Rohit or Suryakumar Yadav, will have to sit out. Jayawardene even joked that if Rohit agrees to bowl, he won’t be subbed out.
“Last year, he had a few niggles, so we had to manage him. He is still making a huge impact, whether he’s on the field or not. This year, I want to keep him on the field as much as I can. When we are rotating the impact player, at which point that is happening, most of our players are all-rounders who bowl, so if the captain needs that option, it’s something I have to take into consideration,” Jayawardene said.
“Maybe he needs to put his hand up and say, ‘I’m available to bowl,’ and then I can’t take him off,” he joked. “The two guys who aren’t all-rounders are Rohit and Surya. It’s a difficult decision to make; we’ll see how it goes,” Jayawardene added.
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