New Delhi: A day after the Mumbai Indians kicked off their preparations for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, club legend Rohit Sharma joined the camp in his trademark style.
The five-time winners began their preparatory camp in Mumbai on Monday ahead of the 19th edition of the cash-rich league, which begins on March 28.
The first group of players to arrive for training included Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, Allah Ghazanfar, Naman Dhir, Raja Angad Bawa, Robin Minz, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Danish Malewar, Mohammad Izhar and Ashwani Kumar.
Rohit arrived at the MI camp on Tuesday. In high spirits, he interacted with head coach Mahela Jayawardene and his former India teammate Shardul Thakur before hitting the nets.
ʜɪᴛᴍᴀɴ joins the squad ahead of the new season in today’s #MIDaily! 👑 pic.twitter.com/5KH5rRR8CM
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 17, 2026
Despite being out of action for the last two months, Rohit looked in super touch, hitting Shardul into the stands during a practice session.
The light banter between Rohit and Shardul was also caught on camera.
Shaana and Lord’s banter is already here 😂 pic.twitter.com/8SZHCH0hit
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 17, 2026
Rohit eager to make a mark
Rohit, the joint-most successful IPL captain with five titles, last played competitive cricket in January when India and New Zealand clashed in a three-match ODI series.
He will be eager to make a mark under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, who will look to bring back glory days to the joint-most successful club in IPL history.
MI, who won their last of five titles in 2020, reached the playoffs last season. The Mumbai-based franchise will open its 2026 campaign against the Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium.
On day 1 of the preparatory camp, players underwent a session that focused on a structured fitness and conditioning block. The strength and conditioning team put players through their paces with movement drills, agility work, and fitness assessments.