Rohit Sharma misses fourth straight IPL 2026 match: What's gone wrong with MI star?
IPL 2026: Rohit Sharma missed his fourth straight IPL 2026 match as Mumbai Indians faced Sunrisers Hyderabad. Hardik Pandya said the opener needs a couple more games, extending uncertainty around MI's batting.
Rohit Sharma’s wait for a return continues as the Mumbai Indians star missed his fourth straight match of IPL 2026. Fans were hoping to see him back against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but that wasn’t the case.
There had been growing optimism after Rohit was seen training in the nets ahead of MI’s recent games. Speaking at the toss, MI captain Hardik Pandya confirmed there is still some time before Rohit returns.
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“Rohit's gonna take a couple of more games. He's been trying, it's not up to exactly where he would want, so not available for the team,” Hardik said.
The update comes as a setback for fans who were expecting a comeback, especially with Rohit having resumed training sessions with the squad over the last few matches.
WHY IS ROHIT SHARMA NOT PLAYING?
Rohit has been out since April 12 after suffering a hamstring injury during MI’s loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Since then, he has been working with the medical staff to regain full fitness, but the recovery has taken longer than initially expected. The fact that he is still not match-ready despite training has raised questions over the extent of the injury.
In his absence, MI have struggled to settle on an opening combination. Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton and Danish Malewar have all been tried, but none have managed to lock down the role.
Malewar, in particular, has struggled, scoring 2 and 0 in his last two outings, highlighting the gap at the top.
HOW HAS ROHIT’S ABSENCE IMPACTED MI?
Rohit’s absence has left a clear hole in MI’s batting.
Despite missing multiple games, he remains their fourth-highest run-scorer this season with 137 runs at an average of 45.66 and a strike rate of 165. Those numbers underline how important he has been to their starts.
Without him, MI have lacked both stability and intent in the powerplay. The constant changes at the top have also put added pressure on the middle order.
With Hardik indicating that Rohit could miss a couple more games, the uncertainty continues. For MI, the bigger concern is not just when he returns, but whether they can hold their season together until then.
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