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When the playing 11 was announced for the 24th match of IPL 2026, Rohit Sharma’s name was missing from the Mumbai list. This match was played between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) on 16 April. Even before this match, Rohit Sharma was suffering from hamstring injury. After which questions started arising among the fans that when will Rohit finally play his next IPL match. Now, Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya himself has answered this question.

Let us tell you that Rohit Sharma suffered this injury during the run chase in the match played against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on April 12. At the beginning of the 5th over, the strain became so severe that he had to retire hurt and leave the field. However, it is a matter of relief that the initial scan report has not revealed any signs of any strain or injury in the muscles. Nevertheless, the management has decided to give him rest as a precautionary measure.

When will Rohit return?

At the time of toss in the match played against PBKS, captain Hardik Pandya gave a big update on Rohit’s fitness. He said, ‘Rohit’s injury is being monitored. It will take at least two matches for him to recover and fully understand his situation. This means that the Hitman may be out of action not only against Punjab but also from the team’s next match. His rehab has started under the supervision of the team physio and fans are praying that he returns to the crease as soon as possible.

Quinton de Kock gets a chance in Rohit’s absence

In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians expressed confidence in their experienced player Quinton de Kock. De Kock, who was bought for Rs 1 crore in the IPL 2026 auction, was included in the playing 11. Between 2019 and 2021, De Kock played many match-winning innings for Mumbai. Replacing Rohit, he has now taken over the responsibility of opening the innings along with his South African teammate Ryan Rickelton.

Playing-11 of Mumbai Indians against PBKS

• Playing-11: Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Ryan Rickleton, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (captain), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dheer, Mayank Rawat, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah.
• Impact Substitute: AM Ghazanfar, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Robin Minz, Ashwini Kumar.