The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections.
Ahead of the cash-rich league, Mumbai Indians` head coach Mahela Jayawardene heaped praise on veteran batsman Rohit Sharma by saying he is fit and looks very committed for the season.
“I think he has done a lot of work behind the scenes. (He) had a lot of skill work done in the last week. He`s joined us on the first day itself for our training camp. He looked good in the nets, very good. A newer version of Rohit as well, much fitter, very committed so I`m looking forward to him leading us from the top,” he said on the sidelines of the MI Junior 2026 finals.
Mumbai Indians` lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah also earned praise from Jayawardene. He labelled him as a “special player” and highlighted his role for delivering performances for India in crucial matches.
“Jassi is always a special, special player. It`s just the work ethic he puts in and the way he thinks about the game that also matters. The way he executed in crucial moments for India in the World Cup was something special. We`ve seen it in Mumbai (Indians`) ranks many times and having closely worked with him, I know how much thinking goes behind those executions and what he wanted to do,” said the 48-year-old former cricketer.
He also inspired young players during MI Junior finals by saying that premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya also trained at the MIG Cricket Club in his initial days.
“This is our sixth year of organizing MI Junior and it`s getting more exciting every year. Sports is about participating and at this age, it is about enjoying the competition more than anything. We are at an iconic venue today, from where a lot of Indian cricketers started their journey. I saw some iconic pictures in the dressing rooms and I know that Hardik (Pandya) has also practised here in his early days. This is a great starting point for you to push yourselves and one day, hopefully, don the colours of Mumbai,” said Jayawardene.
IPL 2026, Mumbai Indians: Full Squad
Rohit Sharma, Trent Boult, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock (WK), Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Corbin Bosch, Hardik Pandya (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Mayank Markande, Sherfane Rutherford, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, Tilak Varma, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (WK), Allah Ghazanfar, Naman Dhir, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar.
(With PTI Inputs)
