Mahela Jayawardene has played down the hamstring concern that kept Rohit Sharma out of Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, saying the issue is “nothing serious” and that the right-hander should return to the XI soon. While the head coach expects a quick recovery, he stressed that the final call will rest with the medical team.
Quick facts
- Mahela Jayawardene believes Rohit Sharma’s hamstring injury is “nothing serious”.
- Rohit, 38, missed the IPL 2026 match vs Punjab Kings at Wankhede on Thursday.
- He picked up the hamstring injury during the previous match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
- At the toss, Hardik Pandya suggested Rohit could miss two games.
- Jayawardene said Rohit began running on Wednesday and that the medical staff will decide the next steps.
- Mumbai Indians lost to Punjab Kings by seven wickets as Punjab chased 196 with 21 balls to spare.
- Prabsimran Singh (80*) and Shreyas Iyer (66) anchored the chase.
- Quinton de Kock made an impact in his IPL 2026 return, scoring 112* off 60 balls.
- Jayawardene noted Mumbai are struggling to find enough “penetration” with the ball.
Rohit’s absence came after he aggravated a hamstring issue in Mumbai’s chase against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, when he retired hurt in the sixth over. The batter received treatment before that over got underway, but a short while into the innings he walked off after feeling pain and discomfort.
Ahead of the Punjab Kings encounter, Rohit was seen doing light drills at the Wankhede, yet he ultimately did not take the field. The five-time champions, who were already preparing for the match without him, were forced to adjust their plans further after the defeat that followed.
When asked about the severity of the injury after the loss, Jayawardene delivered the key update. He said Rohit started running the previous day, adding that the batter understands his own body better than anyone, while also making it clear that the management will not rush a return in the early part of the season.
“Rohit started running yesterday. He knows his body better than anybody else, so it’s nothing serious, but at the same time, we don’t want to push, and it’s still early season, so the medical staff will take that call on him,” Jayawardene told reporters on Thursday after Mumbai’s defeat to Punjab Kings.
Mumbai’s fourth loss and Punjab’s chase
Mumbai Indians suffered their fourth defeat of IPL 2026 on Thursday, going down to Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings by seven wickets. Punjab completed the chase of 196 with seven wickets still in hand and 21 balls left, turning the match in their favour with a steady, high-impact partnership.
Prabsimran Singh struck 80 not out, while Shreyas Iyer contributed 66 as the visitors reached the target comfortably. The result also underlined how decisive Punjab were once they settled into the chase, despite Mumbai’s efforts to keep the scoring under control earlier in the innings.
For Mumbai, Quinton de Kock marked his first appearance of the IPL 2026 season with a statement knock—an unbeaten 112 off 60 balls. Even so, his century wasn’t enough to prevent the loss, as Punjab’s pursuit remained on track throughout.
Jayawardene on XI changes and bowling struggles
After the defeat, Jayawardene said Mumbai had to tinker with the playing XI due to injuries and availability issues. He explained that a few combinations were shaped by circumstances rather than pure selection preference, as the team tried to build a workable structure from what it had available.
The head coach also pointed to a bigger concern—Mumbai’s difficulty in generating enough breakthrough moments with the ball. Jayawardene said the lack of penetration has been hurting their performances, and that the side needs to work harder to improve in that area.
“We did try some combinations, and some of those combinations were forced on us because of injuries and players not available. So we tried to create something of what is available, but we are finding some spark in certain areas, but on the other hand we are not finding that, especially with the ball; we haven’t been able to penetrate the opposition, so that’s something that we really have to work harder on and see how we can improve on that,” Jayawardene said.
