3 min readMar 30, 2026 08:27 AM IST
Rohit Sharma last played a T20 in the last IPL and has since then only played ODIs for India, as well as 50-over matches for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Yet, he marked his return to T20 cricket with a blistering knock of 78 runs in 38 balls for Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2026 opener against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
Elaborating on the reasons behind why the 38-year-old batted so well on Sunday, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene said that Rohit was focused from the very first day of the camp before the season began and was a lot calmer, with him no longer having to lead the franchise.
“From day one of the camp, he was very focused and fresh. He had some really good practice games and simulations. I was happy with how he was hitting the ball, and I thought he batted brilliantly. The way the two of them handled the bowling attack was excellent. It was a great partnership.”
Rohit Sharma in his element 🙌
🎥 Enjoy his scintillating early smacks for six 👊#MI are 64/0 after 5 overs.
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 29, 2026
“He’s freed himself up. He’s calmer, and there’s less pressure on him without leadership responsibilities. This happens – your muscle memory takes over, and you just play naturally. We’ve encouraged him to play with that freedom,” Jayawardene said in the post-match presentation.
Suryakumar Yadav was used as an impact sub by MI on Sunday, and Jayawardene said that India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain was suffering from a ‘tight groin’ and hence did not field in the first innings.
“Please don’t create any unwanted stories. Surya had a tight groin, and he still wanted to field towards the back-end, but I didn’t want to risk it. These are valuable players, and we need to manage them through the season. There’s nothing beyond that,” he said.
Pointing to the tactical and structural shifts driving higher totals in the IPL, Jayawardene said teams are now batting deeper and playing with far greater intent, which is significantly inflating scores.
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“Players are more aggressive now. Also, with the impact substitute rule, teams bat much deeper. Some teams even have an eighth or ninth batting option. That’s where the extra 20–30 runs are coming from.”
“But it won’t happen at every venue. On bigger grounds or slower pitches, it will be different,” he added.
.jpeg "‘Let them talk’ – KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane silences critics after quick-fire knock vs MI")