Star Indian cricketer reveals Rohit Sharma will be a barrier for many teams in IPL 2026 playoffs. Scroll down to read the full story.
Published: May 5, 2026 4:21 PM IST
The five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners, Mumbai Indians, played their last match against Rishabh Pant’s Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, where they defeated LSG by 6 wickets, with 8 balls spare. With this victory, Mumbai Indians won their third match in the tournament.
Star Mumbai Indians player and one of the finest batters of all time, Rohit Sharma, who is known for his brilliant batting performance and iconic knocks, played after a while for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 as he was suffering from injury. Despite missing many matches, Rohit Sharma showcased his class and experience for Mumbai Indians by playing a crucial knock of 84 runs off 44 balls, including six fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 190.
Speaking on Star Sports’ ‘Amul Cricket Live’, Sunil Gavaskar lauded Rohit Sharma’s batting display against LSG:
“I have been watching Rohit Sharma closely over the last year. Ever since he was removed as captain in white-ball cricket and the IPL, he has focused more on his batting. He scored runs in the ODI series against Australia, did well in home series, and now he is doing the same in the IPL. In the IPL, he usually scores 400 to 500 runs a season, but his knocks are often impactful. He may not have many 80-plus innings, but his 40 to 50-run starts give his team early momentum. The change in his game is clear: he now wants to bat deeper and leave a bigger impact. In this 84-run knock, we saw all the typical Rohit Sharma shots. The pull shot was on display. Short balls disappeared into the stands. Full deliveries were driven through the cover region. He also lofted long off with ease. Against left-arm spinner M Siddharth, he played down the ground, hitting against the turn. We saw a focused Rohit Sharma against LSG. If he continues this form, Mumbai Indians will hurt the playoff hopes of many teams in the remaining matches.”
Sunil Gavaskar also reflected on star Mumbai Indians pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, who is facing struggle in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026: “Bumrah is giving his best, but he seems to be trying too many extra things. He took a wicket after the strategic timeout, but it was a no-ball. Then he bowled a few more no-balls. He is creating wicket-taking chances, but luck is not on his side. His pace has also dropped. His go-to slower ball length has become fuller. The line that used to target the stumps is now drifting to leg stump. He is not known for bowling many no-balls, but this season he has already bowled six or seven. He tried bowling fuller lengths, but that didn’t work. He is overdoing things, and that’s hurting him. He should go back to his basics and stick to what works best for him. Trying new things is affecting his rhythm and luck isn’t helping either. It will take just one or two games. Once he starts picking up wickets, he will be back on track. But Bumrah needs to keep it simple and stop overcomplicating his bowling.”
