Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil) MUMBAI: As head coach of Mumbai Indians, Mahela Jayawardene has a lot to enjoy as he prepares for IPL 2026, which starts on March 28. Four MI players – India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, skipper Hardik Pandya and batsman Tilak Varma’ played key roles in the T2 Cup202 World.“Our boys will always inspire cricketers. And I am very proud to have Rohit, Hardik, Surya, Tilak, Jassi, Booms. They are an amazing group of players and we are very honored to have them in Mumbai Indians,” Mahela said during the closing ceremony of the MI Junior season at the MIG Cricket Club Ground on Tuesday.
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Mithali Raj on the rise of Indian women’s cricket“I think in the World Cup everybody has to put their hand up because it’s a tough tournament. I mean, every game was tough. So there were different players who put their hand up and performed. And that’s why you win a World Cup because everybody’s in form. Obviously, at the back end they were really well on top. I’m glad we had four guys from Mumbai who played in the World Cup (in India) 00. I’m excited about that.” he added.“World Cup T20 winners take extended break”The MI head coach revealed that the franchise has given its four World Cup-winning players an “extended break”, with the quartet set to go to camp next week.“Every year our goal is to get there (to win the IPL trophy). But I know it’s a long season. So the pre-season will start as we usually do, working hard, getting new guys into the set-up. And with our (T20) World Cup guys, we’ve given them a little bit of a longer break to join us next weekend. The overseas guys will also fly out with us a week before for training and the first one will join us.” game,” said Mahela.England all-rounder Will Jacks also impressed in the T20 World Cup, while the presence of the likes of Sherfane Rutherford, Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock adds depth to the squad.“Absolutely,” he said, adding, “But I’m glad to have a headache than not to have a headache. Not just Jacksy, but (there’s) Sherfane, Ryan (Rickelton), Quinny (Quinton de Kock). Everyone’s also forgotten about Santner, who was captain of New Zealand before. So I think it’s a great group we’ve got together for the T2 World Cup.”“So I’m glad to have them all. It’s going to give me a real headache. But everybody knows how we operate in camp. So we’ll make decisions at the right time. They’ll be tough decisions, but we’ll make sure the best decisions are made.”I support Suryakumar, kudos to BumrahDespite some criticism of Suryakumar’s form, Jayawardene strongly supported him. “I don’t think SKY are too worried about it (his form). He’s a class operator. He always gets there. He’s contributed when it mattered. Yes, consistency is something he’d like to improve,” he said.“I think the way he led the (Indian) team and held everything together… They had to make some tough decisions during the season. And they did in the (T20) World Cup. Hats off to him. I’m sure he’ll be rested and join the camp with a smiling face.”On Bumrah, he added: “I think Jassi (Jasprit Bumrah) is always a special, special player. And it also depends on the work ethic he puts in and the way he thinks about the game. I think the way he behaved in the crucial moments for India in the World Cup (T20) was something special.”Rohit’s role and Sri Lanka’s campaignJayawardene hinted that Rohit Sharma must not be used only as an Impact Player and praised his improved fitness.“He hasn’t, but I think he’s done a lot of work behind the scenes. He’s done a lot of skill work over the last week. He joined us on the first day of our training camp. He looked good in the nets, which is very good. (we’re) also seeing a newer version of Rohit.. much fitter, very committed. So (we’re) looking forward to him leading us from the top.”On Sri Lanka’s performance in the T20 World Cup, Jayawardene said: “I think Sri Lanka played really good cricket. They had some tough games that they dropped. I mean, it’s the World Cup. I think every game is important. It could have gone either way.”
