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Mumbai Indians' (MI) opener Rohit Sharma on April 14 missed the team's long practice session ahead of their clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Wankhede Stadium on April 16. There is uncertainty around his availability for the game after a hamstring injury during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clash forced him to leave the field retired hurt.
As per a report by Cricbuzz, there was no evidence of a hamstring tear in the scans. While the absence of a tear is good news for MI team management, it is not confirmed whether he will be fit to take on PBKS at home.
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If Rohit does not regain full fitness, MI may refrain from playing him against Shreyas Iyer's PBKS and risk getting him injured. However, they will have the option of using Rohit as an impact player which is common for the franchise.
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Promotion for India batter or overseas player to replace Rohit?
Currently, MI don't have an established Indian opener to replace Rohit. They may have to promote Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma. They also have the option to drop either Mitchell Santner or Trent Boult and include Quinton de Kock in the side to open alongside Ryan Rickelton. Another option is Will Jacks who may join the side ahead of the PBKS game. However, Jacks had offered balance to England's side as a middle-order batter and off-spinner. He won four 'Player of the match' awards at the event.
MI slip to 9th spot
With Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beating bottom-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 32 runs on April 14, MI slipped to the ninth spot on the points table. CSK now have two wins from five games. MI have faced three consecutive defeats after winning their campaign opener against KKR. Ajinkya Rahane-led KKR is the only team which is yet to win a game in the ongoing edition.
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