India captain Rohit Sharma opted to wait in Mumbai to finish his special pre-season training regiment. The five-time IPL champions will begin their 2024 campaign against last year’s runner-up, Gujarat Titans, on Sunday. Despite missing the initial prep, Rohit will be available for the opening fixture.
Rohit missed the Mumbai Indians’ first intra-squad practice match, which occurred behind closed doors on Wednesday in Mumbai before the team departed for Ahmedabad.
“Rohit Sharma arrived at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. He spent the last three days in Mumbai undergoing his personalized training regime, which included mobility exercises, strength training, and net simulations. As a result, he stayed back in Mumbai to focus on his pre-season regime and did not take part in the practice game.” the Mumbai Indians said in an official statement.
The 17th season of the IPL will mark significant change for Rohit Sharma. For the first time in over a decade, he will not captain the Mumbai Indians. He will also be the first active Indian captain to play under another Indian in the IPL. Hardik Pandya, who debuted with Mumbai under Rohit’s leadership in 2015, will captain the team this year.
Last November, Pandya returned to his former franchise Mumbai in a trade between Mumbai and Gujarat Titans. The star all-rounder spent two successful seasons with Gujarat, leading them to the IPL championship in 2022.
There has been speculation about a rift between the two Indian cricket stars. However, during their first meeting at Mumbai Indians’ practice, there were no signs of tension whatsoever between Pandya and Sharma.
In February, MI head coach Boucher stated that the decision to remove Rohit as captain was meant to allow him to play more freely as a batter after a few underwhelming outings with the bat.
