Rohit Sharma fitness update: MI star likely to return on…

Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has provided an update on veteran batter Rohit Sharma’s hamstring injury. Jayawardene said that the 38-year-old batter would return to the field soon, adding that the team remains confident about his recovery and availability for upcoming matches.

Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 16. Captain Shreyas Iyer scored 66 runs as Punjab Kings chased down the target of 196 with more than three overs to spare. Arshdeep Singh was named Player of the Match for his 3/22 in four overs.

Mahela Jayawardene Provides Crucial Medical Update on Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma missed the recent match against Punjab Kings after retiring hurt earlier against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. At the toss, captain Hardik Pandya said that the veteran opener could miss two matches.

After the defeat, Mahela Jayawardene spoke to reporters about the ongoing recovery and rehabilitation of the former captain.

“Rohit Sharma started running yesterday. He knows his body better than anybody else, so it's nothing serious, but at the same time, we don't want to push, and it's still early season, so the medical staff will take that call on him,” Mahela Jayawardene told reporters on Thursday after the loss.

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Some Of Those Combinations Were Forced On Us - Mahela Jayawardene

Despite missing Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians posted a decent total following an excellent innings from Quinton de Kock. Playing his first match of the season, he smashed an unbeaten 112 off just 60 balls, including eight boundaries and seven sixes.

However, Mumbai Indians failed to defend the total with the ball. Mahela Jayawardene expressed disappointment over their inability to take key wickets. He added that forced changes in the lineup affected the team balance and exposed their bowling weaknesses.

“We did try some combinations, and some of those combinations were forced on us because of injuries and players not available."

"So we tried to create something of what is available, but we are finding some spark in certain areas, but on the other hand we are not finding that, especially with the ball; we haven't been able to penetrate the opposition, so that's something that we really have to work harder on and see how we can improve on that,” Jayawardene said.

Punjab Kings Hand Mumbai Indians Fourth Defeat

Punjab Kings comfortably chased down the target with 21 balls remaining. Prabhsimran Singh played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 80 runs, taking the game away from the Mumbai Indians. MI, led by Hardik Pandya, suffered their fourth defeat of the ongoing IPL season.

The Mumbai Indians missed the aggressive start usually provided by Rohit Sharma in the powerplay. He had looked in good touch against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), scoring 19 off 13 before getting injured, and MI eventually fell short by 18 runs in that match.

The experienced opener has started the season well and is currently MI’s leading run-scorer with 137 runs at an average above 45 and a strike rate of 165.06, including a quick 78 off 38 balls in their only win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

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