Mumbai Indians have handed Rohit Sharma the final say on whether he is ready to play against Lucknow Super Giants, a decision that could prove a significant lift for the franchise. Rohit has been sidelined since Mumbai’s IPL 2026 encounter versus Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium on April 12. During that game, batting on 19, he felt discomfort and suffered a hamstring injury, eventually having to retire hurt. Although he is still working to reach full match readiness, he has continued to travel with the squad and train with the team. Ahead of the new contest, Rohit batted for about an hour on Sunday evening and appeared sharp, prompting fresh optimism about a possible return.
With Mumbai set to take on Lucknow in their 10th league match of the campaign, the star batter will decide whether his body is in shape enough to take the field on Monday.
“Rohit Sharma will decide his own availability for tonight’s game against LSG. It is understood that the team management has left the decision entirely to him. Rohit was seen batting for almost an hour and going through fitness drills on the eve of the match,” a report noted via Cricbuzz.
Dhoni not travelling to Delhi
Alongside Rohit’s setback, there has been no encouraging update on MS Dhoni’s participation either. Dhoni picked up a calf injury just days before the IPL began and was ruled out for the first two weeks of the tournament. Over a month later, his exact timeline for a return still remains unclear.
Recently, Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming had also highlighted a troubling development by indicating Dhoni suffered a “second injury,” which has only deepened the uncertainty. Even more concerning is that Dhoni has not been travelling with the squad, making a comeback appear increasingly unlikely.
The newest signal is not positive: Dhoni is not part of the CSK travelling group for the upcoming match against Delhi Capitals, even though the franchise management continues to express hope that he could still feature at some stage during IPL 2026.
“He should be available at some stage,” a senior team official was quoted as saying via Cricbuzz.
The tournament has already felt less gripping than the previous 18 seasons, and the absence of both Rohit and Dhoni has not helped. While players like Virat Kohli and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi have drawn attention, with 200-plus totals being chased in a way that now feels routine, the presence of two IPL icons and the league’s most successful captains could have added more weight. Rohit’s situation looks more hopeful given that MI still have at least five matches remaining, but Dhoni’s return at the age of 44 now appears to be a tough ask.
