Mumbai Indians (MI), having won the IPL title five times, are poised to compete for their sixth championship in the upcoming season. Despite being the first team to crash out of the playoffs in the 2022 edition, MI, led by Rohit Sharma, is determined to bounce back. Last year was a disastrous season for the record holders, as they finished in last place out of the ten teams.
Mumbai Indians had a disappointing 2022 season with only four wins and 10 losses, earning a total of 8 points from their 14 league matches. This year, Rohit Sharma’s team will face a major setback as their star paceman, Jasprit Bumrah, will be unavailable for the entire IPL season. Additionally, there is a chance that the team may have to play some matches without their charismatic captain, Rohit Sharma, due to recent developments.
The Indian Express has reported that Rohit Sharma may not be available for a few matches in the upcoming IPL season due to concerns over his workload. As the captain of the Indian cricket team across all formats, Rohit will take a break from playing to manage his workload. In his absence, Suryakumar Yadav, a top batsman, is expected to lead Mumbai Indians.
According to recent reports, Rohit Sharma will be selective about which matches he will miss in the upcoming IPL season. However, he will travel with the team to mentor Suryakumar Yadav, who will take over the captaincy in his absence. Rohit had a poor season as both a batsman and captain last year, failing to score a single half-century and leading Mumbai Indians to eight consecutive losses. In contrast, his teammate Suryakumar Yadav scored 303 runs in just eight matches.
Earlier, Rohit had emphasized that it is ultimately up to the players to take responsibility for their fitness while playing in the IPL. “It’s all up to the franchises now. They own them now. We have given some indications to the teams, but at the end of the day, it’s up to the franchises. And more importantly, it’s up to the players. They are all adults; they have to look after their bodies. If they feel it’s getting a bit too much, they can talk about it and take a break in one or two games. I doubt if that will happen, but,” Rohit said.