Rohit Sharma returned to the Mumbai Indians playing XI against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after missing out on five games due to an injury.
Rohit suffered a hamstring injury against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at home on April 12 and retired hurt for 19 runs.
Stand-in-captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed the news of Rohit's comeback, during the coin toss. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians were forced to leave out regular skipper Hardik Pandya, due to a back spasm.
"He's (Hardik) not well tonight, so just going into his shoes. But yeah, the rest, everything is fine. There's definitely, Cobin Bosch comes in for Trent Boult and also our very own Rohit Sharma is back," Suryakumar said.
Earlier, a report in Cricbuzz stated that the team management has left it to Rohit on the decision of his availability for the game. However, Rohit will play as a pure batter by coming on as an impact sub. With Mumbai Indians bowling first, Rohit wasn't named in the playing XI.
In fact, the right-hander was present at the Wankhede Stadium on the eve of the game, and batted for almost an hour. He also went through some fitness drills. Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene was with Rohit. Notably, Sunday was a travelling day for Mumbai Indians with optional practice session.
Since Rohit's injury, Mumbai Indians lost four out of five games. However, it will be interesting to see whether Rohit plays against LSG. He can also opt to be the impact sub, provided the 37-year-old decides to play.
Why MI vs LSG is important for both teams?
With just two wins so far in IPL 2026, both teams are languishing at the bottom of the table. While Mumbai Indians occupy the ninth spot with just two wins from nine games, LSG too have won two but played a game less and placed last in the points table.
As things stand, both Mumbai Indians and LSG will have to win all their remaining games to claim a stake for a place in the playoffs. Winning their remaining five games will take Mumbai Indians to 14 points and will have to depend on other teams for a passage into the last four.
On the other hand, the Rishabh Pant-led side need to win their remaining six games, which will help them reach 16 points. A slip up by either of the teams will further jeopardise their campaign.
What's ailing Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026?
Despite having four of India's T20 World Cup 2026 winners in the line-up, Mumbai Indians have failed to fire. Notably, the five-time champions used 23 players in nine games - a clear sign of imbalance. To add to that, poor form of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have compounded to their problems.
Suryakumar is placed 40th in batting charts with just 183 runs in nine games while Bumrah has so far been able to pick jut three wickets in nine games to add more to the misery. There have also been calls to replace Hardik as the captain of Mumbai Indians from next season.
Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.