Former MI captain Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the IPL 2026 clash against the Punjab Kings due to a hamstring injury sustained in a previous match. Captain Hardik Pandya confirmed Rohit will miss a couple of games, with his return timeline dependent on his recovery progress under the team’s medical staff.
The former Mumbai Indians (MI) captain and star batter Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the IPL 2026 clash against the Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, April 16.
The veteran MI batter was unavailable for the five-time IPL champions’ crucial match against PBKS due to a hamstring injury, which he sustained during the last clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mumbai. The hosts were chasing a 241-run target when Rohit Sharma felt discomfort in his hamstring and was retired hurt while batting on 19 off 13 balls.
Rohit Sharma reportedly underwent scans to understand the seriousness of the injury and will be assessed further by MI’s medical team before a return timeline is confirmed, as the team is fighting for a spot in the playoffs.
Also Read: ‘Better Record Than Rohit’: KKR Captain Ajinkya Rahane Backed After ‘Jealous’ Remark at Critics
Rohit Sharma’s Injury Update
Ahead of the MI’s clash against PBKS, Rohit Sharma had a light and practice session at the Wankhede Stadium, but he was unfit to feature in the playing XI and continued his recovery under the supervision of the team’s medical staff.
Speaking at the toss, the Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya stated that Rohit is still recovering from a hamstring injury and MI will monitor him over the next few matches before deciding his comeback.
“Rohit is out from the last game. He’s gonna take a couple of games for him to see how exactly where he is,” Hardik said.
Scroll to load tweet…
Rohit Sharma was replaced by Quinton de Kock in the playing XI, marking the South African batter’s first match of the ongoing season after returning to the Mumbai Indians following his acquisition by the franchise for his base price of INR 1 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
For the first time since April last year, the veteran MI Batter missed an IPL match due to injury concerns, as the Mumbai Indians opted to manage his workload carefully during the ongoing season.
When Will Rohit Sharma Return to Action?
Though Rohit Sharma had a light training session under the supervision of the Mumbai Indians’ medical staff, the veteran batter wasn’t available for the crucial clash against the Punjab Kings. As Hardik Pandya said at the toss, Rohit is expected to miss the next couple of matches before his return timeline is decided based on recovery progress.
After the match against the PBKS, MI will play the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, respectively. This means Rohit will likely be ruled out of these two matches as the franchise continues to monitor his recovery before taking a final call on his return.
Rohit Sharma’s availability for the clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mumbai will depend on his recovery progress, with the medical team expected to take a final call closer to the match.
Since sustaining an injury to his hamstring against RCB on April 12, the 38-year-old is expected to miss around two weeks of action and could remain sidelined until closer to the Sunrisers Hyderabad clash on April 29, depending on recovery progress and fitness clearance.
In the IPL 2026, Rohit Sharma has aggregated 137 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 45.66 and a strike rate of 165.06 in 4 matches.
Also Read: IPL: Rohit Sharma crosses 6000-run milestone for Mumbai Indians