Rohit Sharma [Source: AFP]Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bat first against the SRH in match number 41 of the IPL 2026 season. Playing at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, legendary opener Rohit Sharma was once again excluded from the team’s playing XI. At the toss, captain Pandya released an official statement regarding the recovery update of Sharma, and also dropped a hint of the former skipper’s return to the team. Rohit Sharma misses out vs SRH, return update unveiled Mumbai Indians fans received a massive discouraging update from captain Hardik Pandya prior to their all-important IPL 2026 match against the SRH. With Rohit Sharma still finding no place in the team’s starting XI, the latest update regarding his recovery and return landed a fresh blow to Mumbai Indians’ already troubling campaign. Also Read- Shikhar Dhawan Makes It Clear Whether Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Should Play 2027 World Cup Or NotWhile speaking with the commentator at the toss before the SRH game, Hardik Pandya explained the exact reason behind Sharma’s exclusion from the playing XI. Moreover, the legendary all-rounder also gave a fresh timeline regarding the cricketer’s return, claiming that the former captain might miss a couple of more Mumbai Indians matches since he is still in his recovery phase. Hardik Pandya said “Rohit Sharma is going to take a couple of more games. He has been trying but it's not upto exactly where he would want. So, he is not available for this game.” What happened to Rohit Sharma? The former Mumbai Indians captain sustained a right hamstring injury earlier this month. The cricketer coped the injury during Mumbai Indians’ home game against the defending champions RCB on April 12. The cricketer was forced to cut short his innings at 19* off 13 balls as Mumbai Indians lost the match by 18 runs. Also Read- Prasidh Krishna To Be Back? GT Strongest XI vs RCB For IPL 2026, Match 42Since then, the legendary opener has missed four straight matches of the Mumbai Indians franchise this IPL 2026 season, including the latest one against the SRH on Wednesday, April 29 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.Mumbai Indians face SRH in must-win game Mumbai Indians now faces SRH in their must-win game. With just two wins and five crushing defeats from seven matches, the Hardik Pandya-led side has accumulated only four points so far to be languishing at number nine on the 10-team IPL 2026 points table. Their NRR of -0.736 also marks one of the worst among all teams this season.A win at this stage of the tournament will bring them on par with the CSK and Delhi Capitals, and blaze them past the KKR on the ladder. Overall, Pandya and co. need to win at least six of their remaining eight fixtures to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs.Follow MI vs SRH Live Updates For Each And Every Detail Of The High-Octane IPL 2026 Clash
