With Mumbai Indians set to take on Gujarat Titans in their next Indian Premier League outing, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey has delivered a double fitness boost for the franchise. He confirmed that both Rohit Sharma and Mitchell Santner are available for selection, as MI look to steady a season that has quickly slipped into survival mode after a promising start.
Key takeaways
- Paras Mhambrey said Rohit Sharma is fit and working on his batting ahead of the Gujarat Titans clash.
- Mitchell Santner is also reported as fully fit after missing the previous game due to illness.
- MI’s campaign began with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders but has since seen four straight losses.
- Rohit’s hamstring injury ruled him out of the match against Punjab Kings, with Hardik Pandya previously indicating he would miss “a couple of games more.”
- Both players were discussed during a pre-match press interaction, where the coach explained their availability.
Fitness update ahead of the Gujarat Titans match
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Mhambrey reassured fans that the two key names were ready to go. He highlighted Rohit’s progress at the nets, noting that the India captain is actively working on his batting. Mhambrey then added that Santner is fit as well, clarifying that the spinner missed the previous fixture because he had fallen ill.
In his remarks, Mhambrey stressed that the absence was not due to any injury setback but rather a sickness he picked up before the last match. With both players now available, MI will be hoping to regain control of their campaign as they prepare to face Gujarat Titans.
Why MI are under pressure
MI’s IPL journey has taken a difficult turn after an encouraging opening. The franchise started their campaign with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders, but they have since dropped four consecutive matches, leaving gaps in both their batting and bowling performances exposed.
The pressure intensified after Rohit suffered a hamstring injury against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who were the defending champions at the time. As a result, Rohit did not play the next match against Punjab Kings. Hardik Pandya had earlier described the expected timeline, saying Rohit would be sidelined for “a couple of games more,” before returning to action.
Alongside Rohit’s fitness concerns, Santner also missed the Punjab Kings game because of illness, adding another layer of difficulty for MI as they tried to find the right balance in their XI.
IPL squads
Gujarat Titans Squad
- Shubman Gill (c)
- Sai Sudharsan
- Jos Buttler (w)
- Washington Sundar
- Glenn Phillips
- Rahul Tewatia
- Rashid Khan
- Ashok Sharma
- Kagiso Rabada
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
- Shahrukh Khan
- Ishant Sharma
- Jayant Yadav
- Jason Holder
- Luke Wood
- Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore
- Kulwant Khejroliya
- Anuj Rawat
- Manav Suthar
- Kumar Kushagra
- Arshad Khan
- Gurnoor Brar
- Nishant Sindhu
- Connor Esterhuizen
Mumbai Indians Squad
- Quinton de Kock (w)
- Ryan Rickelton
- Tilak Varma
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Hardik Pandya (c)
- Sherfane Rutherford
- Naman Dhir
- Mayank Rawat
- Shardul Thakur
- Deepak Chahar
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Rohit Sharma
- Trent Boult
- Corbin Bosch
- Mitchell Santner
- Ashwani Kumar
- Will Jacks
- Mayank Markande
- Raghu Sharma
- Raj Bawa
- Robin Minz
- AM Ghazanfar
- Danish Malewar
- Krish Bhagat
- Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar
