Mumbai Indians should not use Rohit Sharma as an Impact Player in IPL 2026 and rather his on-field presence would make a big difference to their campaign, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif said.
Rohit, a MI veteran and who has scored the most runs for the franchise was mostly used as an Impact Player in the last season of IPL. Kaif says skipper Hardik Pandya could benefit immensely if Rohit is around during pressure situations in a match.
“Mumbai Indians should fully utilise the fitter and learner Rohit Sharma. He can’t be just an impact player; MI will need him in crunch situations. Also, his inputs to captain Hardik Pandya will be precious. Last year in Qualifier 2 against Kings XI, when Shreyas Iyer was hitting, Hardik needed Rohit next to him. Full involvement in the game will help Rohit the batter, too,” Kaif wrote in a tweet on X.
Rohit had a poor outing last season where he scored only 240 runs and would look to contribute more with the bat in IPL 2025.
Mumbai will start their campaign in IPL 2026 with a home match against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29. Then the Pandya-led MI side will travel to Delhi for a game against Delhi Capitals on April 4.
He along with Virat Kohli only play the ODI format for India, having earlier quit Test and T20I cricket. The star batters now focus only on ODIs, keeping an eye on the upcoming 50-over World Cup next year in Africa.
After the IPL, the two star batters will be seen in nine ODIs to be played at home after the BCCI announced the schedule for the 2026-27 home season. If the away series are also included, Rohit and Kohli will feature in 18 ODIs over the next 12 months.
