Indian cricket team star batter Rohit Sharma engaged in hilarious banter with his Mumbai Indians teammate Shardul Thakur after hitting him for a six during practice. During the net practice ahead of IPL 2026, Shardul delivered a length delivery on the middle stump and Rohit dispatched it for a massive six over long-on. Following the shot, the star batter hilariously mocked the bowler by saying – “Catch it… in the stands”. Mumbai Indians will begin their campaign on March 29 with a match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Rohit Sharma has won six IPL titles, including one with Deccan Chargers and five as captain of the Mumbai-based franchise, making him the joint most successful captain in the tournament’s history.
The veteran opener joined Mumbai in 2011 and became captain in 2013. Sharma then took MI to their maiden IPL title in his first season as captain and went on to lead MI for 11 years before he was replaced by star all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the 2024 season.
Rohit is also MI’s top scorer and one of only four batters with more than 6000 runs in the IPL.
Sharma’s best IPL season with the bat was in 2013, when he scored 538 runs in MI’s title-winning campaign.
In 2015, Rohit was the Player of the Final as Mumbai beat Chennai Super Kings to win their second IPL title. MI went on to win the IPL in 2017, 2019 and 2020 under Rohit’s leadership.
On Monday, MI officially commenced pre-season training, marking the first session of the upcoming 2026 campaign.
Head coach Mahela Jayawardene led the session on the ground, joined by bowling coaches Paras Mhambrey and Lasith Malinga, fielding coach Carl Hopkinson, and the full strength and conditioning and physiotherapy support teams, according to a release.
Mahela Jayawardene, Head Coach, Mumbai Indians, 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,” Jayawardene added.
The remainder of the squad is expected to join the camp in the coming days as preparations build in intensity ahead of the tournament.
(With ANI inputs)