Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene has confirmed that Rohit Sharma will not be used as an Impact Player in the 2026 Indian Premier League season. Speaking at the MI event, the head coach explained why the former captain was used as an Impact Sub last season, a move that drew criticism from a section of the fans.
Jayawardene revealed that Rohit faced several injury concerns last season, forcing Mumbai to manage his workload carefully. In IPL 2025, Rohit was not in peak physical condition and when the team switched from his management to Hardik Pandya, MI decided to limit his time on the field.
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“Rohit, how we handled him last year. He had a few niggles, so we just needed to handle that. The thing is, he’s still a huge influence on the team, whether he’s on the field or not. But I definitely want to keep him on the field as much as possible this year,” Jayawardene said.
The coach added that MI would like Rohit to be more involved on the field this season. However, Jayawardene pointed out that with several all-rounders in the squad, the use of the Impact Player rule will depend heavily on match situations.
“But it’s about when we rotate pitchers or impact players, when that impact player comes in and if all the other players have to be on the field at that time (to be considered),” he added.
“If you look at it, most of our guys are all-rounders and they can bowl as well. So if the captain needs that option on the field, it’s something I have to look at and discuss depending on the opponent we’re playing. The two guys who are not all-rounders at the moment are Rohit and Surya (Suryakumar Yadav). So can you help me with that decision?” he joked.
Mumbai Indians play their first IPL game against 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders. MI fans will be hoping that Rohit returns to top form and delivers a big season. He has notched up more than 400 runs in the campaign but has failed to completely lead MI to the title in recent years.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
17 March 2026 20:26 IST
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