Rohit Sharma had to walk off retired hurt during the Mumbai Indians’ match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday. Now, with MI gearing up to face Punjab Kings at Wankhede on Thursday, everyone’s keeping a close eye on Rohit’s recovery. The team’s fretting—understandably—about his fitness.
Rohit went for scans on his hamstring on Monday. Right now, there’s no official update, but reports suggest there’s nothing too serious. Still, nobody knows for sure whether he’ll be fit to play against Punjab Kings, and all the uncertainty has left fans and the team anxious.
The good news? There’s no tear in his hamstring. But MI still have a decision to make—do they risk sending Rohit out as an impact player, or play it safe and give him more time to recover? The fact that he skipped Tuesday’s net session doesn’t help. He didn’t even show up at Wankhede for practice. Honestly, it’s looking pretty likely he’ll miss the next game. And with the ODI World Cup in 2027 on his mind, he’s probably not looking to take any unnecessary risks right now.
Mumbai Indians are currently stuck in ninth place on the IPL 2026 points table, so losing their former captain is a big deal. Without Rohit, MI will need to rethink their opening combo. They’ve used Naman Dhir up top before, so he might get the nod again. Or, they could try something bold and hand 22-year-old Danish Malewar from Vidarbha his debut. Malewar was impressive in the Vidarbha Pro T20 League last year—318 runs in six matches, an average close to 80, a strike rate over 160, and a stunning 120* off just 55 balls in one game. It wouldn’t be a surprise if MI choose to rest Rohit and put their faith in the youngster for this next match.
