Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has said he would like Rohit Sharma to spend more time on the field during IPL 2026. However, he did not clearly say that Rohit will not be used as an Impact Player like last season.
In IPL 2025, Rohit was often subbed in and out, mainly playing as a batter and not spending much time on the field while the team was bowling. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh had also earlier suggested that captain Hardik Pandya should keep Rohit more involved on the field.
Jayawardene explained why Rohit featured as impact player in IPL 2025
Speaking at a press conference, Jayawardene explained that Rohit had some fitness concerns last season, which is why the team had to manage his workload carefully.
“Ro… the way we managed him last year… He had a few niggles so we just needed to manage that," Jaywardene said at a press conference.
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Jayawardene lauds Rohit Sharma
He also said that Rohit continues to play an important role in the team, whether he is on the field or not. But this season, the plan is to try and keep him involved on the field as much as possible, depending on the situation.
“The thing is he’s still making a huge impact on the team whether he’s on the field or not. But, definitely, this year, I want to keep him more on the field as much as I can. But the thing is when we are rotating the bowlers or the impact player at which point that impact player is coming and if all other players need to be on the field at that time [needs to be considered," he added.
Jayawardene explained why Rohit might be used as impact player in IPL 2026
At the same time, Jayawardene hinted that the team might still use Rohit as an Impact Player in certain situations, especially to give the captain more bowling options during the game.
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“If you look at it, most of our guys are all-rounders, and they do bowl as well. So if the captain needs that option on the field, it’s something that I have to look at and discuss depending on the opposition that we’re playing… The 2 guys are not all-rounders at the moment are Rohit and Surya (Suryakumar Yadav). So, can you help me with that decision-making process?" he joked.
Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 schedule
MI will start their IPL 2026 campaign against KKR on March 29 which will take place at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
| Match | Date | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI vs KKR | March 29 | 7:30 PM | Wankhede Stadium |
| DC vs MI | April 4 | 3:30 PM | Arun Jaitley Stadium |
| RR vs MI | April 7 | 7:30 PM | Barsapara Cricket Stadium |
| MI vs RCB | April 12 | 7:30 PM | Wankhede Stadium |
MI's squad for IPL 2026
Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ryan Rickleton, Robin Minz, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Naman Dhir, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Allah Ghafanzar, Ashwani Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, Raghu Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Sherfane Rutherford, Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur, Quinton de Kock, Mohammad Izhar, Danish Malewar, Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Rawat.