Former Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma fought well with his demons to roar back to form after a somewhat sluggish beginning to his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign. After going through a rough patch, the seasoned batter has since reversed this trend and has been back amongst the runs. In his ten appearances this season, Rohit has scored a total of 293 runs, which includes three half-centuries. Ahead of Mumbai Indians' upcoming match against Gujarat Titans, head coach Mahela Jayawardene shed light on the team's strategy of utilising Rohit Sharma as an impact substitute in most of their matches in IPL 2025.
Mahela Jayawardene on Rohit Sharma's limited presence in the field in IPL 2025
Throughout the majority of IPL 2025 season, Rohit Sharma has notably been absent from the field and only came to bat. His involvement in the fielding innings has typically been limited to just two to three overs. Following this brief fielding stint, the experienced campaigner then takes his place as the opening batsman for the five-time IPL champions.
During the pre-match press conference, head coach Mahela Jayawardene clarified that the decision to deploy Rohit Sharma as an impact sub was not a predetermined strategy at the start of the season. He further disclosed that India's Champions Trophy-winning captain had been managing a minor niggle, which ultimately led to the team's decision to utilise him primarily as an impact substitute.
“No, it wasn't at the start. Obviously, Rohit was on the field in some of the games. But if you look at the composition of the team, most of the guys are doing dual roles. Most of them are bowling. At the same time, some of the venues need boundary runners,” Jayawardene said at the pre-match press conference.
“You need guys with speed and all that. So that also comes into play. And Rohit was also nursing a niggle from the Champions Trophy. So we wanted to make sure that we don't push him too hard. And we have managed that while batting is the most important thing,” Jayawardene added.
However, Jayawardene made it clear that Rohit's limited presence in the field doesn't impact MI at all. He said that Rohit remains actively engaged in the game despite not being on the field for the entirety of the opposition's innings.
“He's contributed tremendously whether he's on the field or not. If you've seen, he's always browning the dugout or he goes in during timeouts. And there's a lot of communication happening. So actively involved But it's just overall planning for us to make sure that we have all the bowling options that we need on the field. And we have a lot of senior heads as well. Most likely to be taken out would be (either a Surya or a Tilak or someone like that, a domestic batter. So it's a hard choice for me. But it's a good headache to have,” Jayawardene concluded.
Talking about MI's performance in IPL 2025, they currently occupy the third position in the standings, having garnered 14 points from their 11 matches played. A win against Gujarat Titans in their upcoming match on May 6 would propel them to the top of the league standings and also take them closest to playoffs.