Ahead of their opening match in the IPL 2026, five-time champions Mumbai Indians held a pre-season event in Mumbai. Hardik Pandya and Co. will begin their campaign in March against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. The event, hosted at the Jio World Garden on Saturday, featured performances by several artists from across the country. The biggest highlight of the evening, however, was the presence of MI stars including Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, and others.
A video that has now gone viral on social media showed Rohit Sharma dancing with his daughter Samaira. In the same clip, Hardik was seen enjoying the festivities with his girlfriend Mahieka Shama, while pacer Deepak Chahar appeared alongside his wife.
Rohit Sharma was enjoying The Mix event with his daughter Samaira, while Hardik Pandya was there with his girlfriend and Deepak Chahar with his wife.pic.twitter.com/q8fNfgDBnY
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) March 21, 2026
In another widely shared clip, batter Tilak Varma, who shared a close bond with Rohit’s family, is seen holding Samaira in his arms as the former MI skipper continued dancing.
Dekho, dekho 𝑯𝒊𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒏 aa gaya!pic.twitter.com/0G8eUoD04q
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 21, 2026
These viral moments showcased the strong team bonding within MI ahead of the upcoming IPL season.
Meanwhile, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan weighed in on the ongoing debate regarding the greatest IPL franchise. Speaking on Saturday, he said Mumbai Indians hold an edge over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) due to their significant contribution to Indian cricket through the development of exceptional young talent.
Both MI and CSK have won five IPL titles each, led by tactical leaders Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni respectively, leaving very little to separate them in the debate.
“Picking between CSK and MI as the greatest IPL team will always be debatable. CSK started winning titles in 2010 and became the first team to win back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011. But when MI began winning in 2013, they kept winning every alternate year and later clinched back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020. What I like about MI is their contribution to Indian cricket-the number of match-winners they have produced for the national team is absolutely tremendous,”
said Pathan on JioStar.