Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene, in his recent speech, declared that Rohit Sharma, who was used mostly as an impact player last season, might be seen a bit more on the field this time around.
India’s most veteran T20I batter, Rohit Sharma, no longer plays in that blue jersey with the tricolor on it; however, he still represents his IPL franchise, the Mumbai Indians. Rohit was one of MI’s highest run-getters last season and helped them advance to the second Qualifier.
However, Rohit was mainly seen as an Impact player in the last season. The Mumbai Indians bought Rohit in the batting innings to open alongside Ryan Rickelton. The Indian veteran was seen mainly off the ground, as Hardik Pandya has been captaining the side for the last two seasons.
I want to keep him on the field as much as I can- Mahela Jayawardene said of Rohit Sharma’s role in 2026
MI fans did not take Hardik Pandya’s appointment as the captain of the side, replacing Rohit Sharma, in a very good manner. The Wankhede crowd booed their own team’s skipper on several occasions after Hardik moved back to MI in 2024.
However, Pandya kept his cool and showed some stunning resilience as a cricketer and led MI to the Qualifiers in his second season as captain. This marked the Mumbai Indians’ first-ever playoff qualification after 2020.
In a chat show with MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene, he was asked if Rohit Sharma, the former MI skipper, would be seen in the playing XI this time around rather than being brought in only as an Impact player.
The head coach jokingly remarked,