Mahela Jayawardene insisted Rohit Sharma is fully fit and said the Mumbai Indians’ continued use of him as an Impact Substitute is now a team-combination call rather than a medical compromise, as MI’s injury-hit IPL 2026 campaign moved towards a difficult post-season review.
Rohit had returned from a hamstring issue earlier in the season, forcing Mumbai to manage his workload carefully. The former MI captain’s limited fielding involvement had kept questions alive over whether he was still being protected physically, but Jayawardene said the concern no longer exists.
Jayawardene clears air on Rohit’s Impact Sub role
“According to me, according to our medical team, Rohit is 100%. After coming back from the hamstring injury, first game we were a bit cautious. Now he is playing as an Impact Sub just for the team combination when we are bowling. He is a team player; he perfectly understands it,” Jayawardene said.
The clarification comes at a stage where Mumbai’s season has already been defined by disruption. Rohit Sharma’s hamstring trouble was one of the early setbacks, while MI also had to deal with injuries to key personnel through the campaign. That instability affected both selection and rhythm, with the five-time champions unable to build a settled run despite having a strong core on paper.
Rohit’s Impact Sub usage had become a talking point because MI had earlier wanted a larger on-field role from him this season. His return as a batting-only option, therefore, carried a clear visual signal. Mahela Jayawardene’s latest statement attempts to separate the current decision from the injury itself. According to the MI head coach, Rohit is available from a fitness standpoint, but the franchise is choosing its XI balance based on bowling needs.
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Surya’s form defended amid MI’s batting issues
Jayawardene also backed Suryakumar Yadav, whose form has been a major concern for Mumbai. Surya entered the season as one of MI’s most important batting pillars, but his returns have not matched his reputation or the side’s needs in a campaign where the middle order repeatedly lacked sustained control.
“Surya is a naturally gifted player. At the moment, it’s a combination of confidence and just going through a patch. It happens in cricket,” Jayawardene said.
The defence was expected, but the concern remains real. MI’s batting structure depends heavily on Surya’s ability to change tempo, rescue awkward starts and dominate match-ups through the middle overs. When that influence drops, Mumbai lose one of its biggest tactical weapons. Jayawardene chose to frame the dip as temporary rather than structural, keeping the public message around trust and backing.
Bumrah comeback was a collective call
Jayawardene also addressed Jasprit Bumrah’s workload and return to action. Bumrah’s fitness has been a major talking point in Indian cricket because of his importance across formats, and MI had to manage him carefully through a season already hit by injuries.
“It was a collective conversation with Bumrah and the training staff. It’s been a good conversation. We all learn from this kind of season. During these six to eight weeks, he worked hard to get back to where he should be,” Jayawardene said.
The comment underlines that MI did not treat Bumrah’s return as a simple selection call. It involved the player, the support staff and the coaching group. For Mumbai, however, even the return of their premier fast bowler could not fully repair a campaign where several moving parts failed at once.
Jayawardene admitted that the season will demand internal reflection, especially around how the group responded to setbacks.
“It’s everyone’s responsibility, we have a core group. This year, injuries have affected us. We had some really good conversations within the group, we haven’t been able to galvanise. This is something to reflect on post-season,” he said.
That line captures MI’s season better than any single injury explanation. Mumbai had experience, leadership and high-end match-winners, but the side never fully came together. Injuries hurt them, but the larger issue was the inability to convert that senior core into a stable campaign. Jayawardene’s post-season review will now have to answer why a side with Rohit, Surya, Bumrah and Hardik Pandya still looked unsettled for long stretches of IPL 2026.
