At a Glance
- Harbhajan suggests an earlier return from injury for Rohit could have boosted Mumbai Indians’ playoff hopes
- Rohit scored 44-ball 84 against LSG in comeback game
- MI are in ninth place with three wins from 10 matches
Former Mumbai Indians off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes an earlier return to full fitness for Rohit Sharma could have seen them better placed to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. Rohit had missed each of their previous five games with a hamstring injury earlier in the season.
Rohit’s return to action saw the former India captain score an entertaining 44-ball 84, helping his side to a six-wicket win over the Lucknow Super Giants.
Harbhajan Praises Rohit’s Impact
Although Mumbai are currently struggling, Harbhajan believes things could have been different if Rohit had recovered earlier.
Speaking to JioHotstar, Harbhajan had the following to say:
“It’s important to be in the middle. You can do only so much sitting in the dugout. But you can make a difference by being in the middle, and Rohit Sharma did exactly that.”
“You needed that foundation to chase down that many runs and he didn’t just lay the foundation, but built a couple of floors on it as well, leaving very little for the rest to do. It would have been even better if he had got his hundred, but for the time he was there, he played exceptionally well.”
“I wish his injury had healed a little earlier. Who knows, they might have won a game or two during that losing streak and would have still been alive in the competition?”
Mumbai Indians’ Difficult Time at IPL 2026
The five-time Indian Premier League champions have only won three of their 10 matches so far, and are currently ninth on the points table with six points, only two more than Lucknow in 10th place.
Mumbai need to win each of their last four fixtures to stand a chance of making the playoffs. However, they find themselves up against playoff-bound opposition in three of these remaining four games.
The Indians face defending champions RCB in their next game on Sunday, May 10, before going away to table-toppers Punjab Kings on May 14. They then face the Kolkata Knight Riders on May 20, before returning to the Wankhede Stadium for their final home league game of the season – fourth-placed Rajasthan Royals on May 24.
To make matters a little worse for Mumbai, they went into their most recent game against LSG without skipper Hardik Pandya, who was ruled out with a back spasm.
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