- By Sports desk
- Fri, 01 May 2026 11:10 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma is currently recovering from a hamstring injury he picked up while batting against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 12. Because of the injury, he has missed four matches in a row. With the team now in a must-win situation to stay in the playoff race, head coach Mahela Jayawardene has made it clear that this is not the time to try out new combinations. Mumbai Indians have won only two out of their eight matches so far and are placed ninth on the points table. They are set to face Chennai Super Kings next in Chennai.
Will Rohit feature vs CSK
There was some positive news, though, as Rohit Sharma was seen batting in the nets in Chennai on Friday. He has played only four matches this season so far. Jayawardene said the medical team is closely monitoring his progress and will decide on his availability soon.
“It’s progressed well. He’s like working really hard to get back at it. So for us with the medical team, it’s on a daily basis. We see how he feels, how he pulls up the next day. So we’ll make a decision. We’ll see him practising today as well. So let’s see how he feels tomorrow and what the medical team will tell us,” Jayawardene said.
Mahela Jayawardene on MI's Injury
Injuries and constant changes have forced Mumbai to shuffle their squad a lot this season. They have already used 22 players in the first half, which is unusual for a team that usually sticks to a settled lineup. The frequent changes show how hard they have been trying to find the right combination.
“It’s not the time for us to experiment,” Jayawardene said. “We’ve had issues with our injuries, and availability of players and all that. We’ve already played, I think, 20 players in the season. So we’ve not done that for many years. Our maximum has been 16, even with the impact where we’ve had 16 or 17 was our maximum. So due to those circumstances, we’ve anyway have gone to the bench, deeper into the bench. And these are quality players as well, especially our foreigners have been good quality options. So we kept on changing combinations to suit that as well. But for us, it’s about trusting that process of correcting and playing good cricket,” he added.
Mahela Jayawardene revealed where MI is lacking
Despite putting up big scores in some matches, Mumbai Indians have struggled to finish games. At times, the bowlers haven’t been able to defend totals, and in other matches, the batting has not chased targets successfully. Jayawardene said the main problem has been a lack of consistency at important moments.
“I think it’s just that we haven’t been consistent enough in phases where it’s crucial for us to be competitive in those phases. And we’ve lost our way. So that’s something that we keep saying, you know, let’s get this done, this done. And sometimes you get that done, and then there’s some other phase fails us. So it’s a catch 22 for everyone. So you just keep fighting and trusting the processes, trusting the skill, trusting the players, who’s given us success. And then keep fighting. I mean, that’s what we need to do. And that’s what we will do,” the former Sri Lanka captain said.