Rohit Sharma kicks off IPL 2026 preparations with Mumbai Indians
Team begin training sessions in Mumbai for the 19th edition of the tournament
Dubai: Former India captain Rohit Sharma has joined the Mumbai Indians squad ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The team kicked off their preparations in Mumbai on Monday for the 19th edition of the tournament, set to begin on March 28. The initial group of players to report for training included Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, Allah Ghazanfar, Naman Dhir, Raja Angad Bawa, Robin Minz, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Danish Malewar, Mohammad Izhar and Ashwani Kumar.
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Rohit joined the camp on Tuesday, appearing in good spirits as he caught up with head coach Mahela Jayawardene and his former India teammate Shardul Thakur before heading to the nets.
The former Mumbai Indians captain boasts six IPL titles — one with Deccan Chargers and five as captain of the Mumbai franchise — making him one of the most successful leaders in the tournament’s history.
Having joined Mumbai in 2011, Rohit took over the captaincy in 2013 and led the side to their maiden title in his very first season in charge. He remained at the helm for 11 years before star all-rounder Hardik Pandya replaced him as captain for the 2024 season.
'First day is special'
Rohit is also the franchise’s leading run-scorer and one of only four players to have crossed 6000 runs in IPL history. His standout season with the bat came in 2013, when he scored 538 runs during their title-winning campaign.
In 2015, he was named Player of the Final as Mumbai defeated Chennai Super Kings to secure their second IPL trophy. Under his leadership, the team went on to lift the title again in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Jayawardene said, “There’s always something special about the first day of pre-season. You see the players walk in, the energy builds, and the objective is to start strong. We’ve got the boys who know this franchise inside out, and we have got some exciting new faces coming in.
“Day one sets the tone for the entire campaign. We wanted everyone to feel the intent from the very first session, in how we train, how we prepare, and how we show up for each other. The first session is always exciting, but it’s also the start of something serious, and we know what we’re building towards,” he added.
