Mumbai Indians are sweating over Rohit Sharma's availability ahead of their next IPL 2026 match against Punjab Kings at Wankhede Stadium. The star opener was retired hurt in the last match against RCB on Sunday, April 12, so his availability for the PBKS game on Thursday, April 16, remains in doubt.

Chasing a mammoth total against RCB, Rohit Sharma suffered a hamstring injury while batting on 19 off 13 balls and retired hurt in the sixth over. He visibly looked in pain when he reached the dugout and didn't come out to bat again as MI's innings collapsed. In his absence, MI suffered their third successive loss of the season and are next scheduled to face high-flying PBKS, the only unbeaten team in the IPL 2026.

Will Rohit Sharma feature in the MI vs PBKS match on Thursday, April 16?

Meanwhile, Rohit underwent scans on Monday, and it is reported that the player is indeed struggling with a hamstring injury. However, there was no official update on the scan results, but the former MI captain didn't travel to Wankhede Stadium for the team's practice session on Tuesday.

According to a cricbuzz report, the injury is serious and the upcoming MI vs PBKS match will be too early for Rohit Sharma. So, fans are unlikely to see the 38-year-old at Wankhede on Thursday.

The five-time champions are scheduled to play four more games in April, including a blockbuster clash against Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede on April 23. Rohit Sharma might miss a week or two, considering the seriousness of his hamstring injury. If it's only a minor issue, then the management may consider utilizing him as an impact player

MI playing XI vs PBKS if Rohit Sharma misses out

Despite retiring hurt against RCB, Rohit remains MI's leading run-scorer in the IPL 2026. He has scored 137 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 165.06, and it will be a big void to fill if the player misses the MI vs PBKS match on Thursday.

Quinton de Kock is the ideal replacement for Rohit as the team lack quality Indian openers. Will Jacks is another option, but the English all-rounder is yet to join the team due to his extended leave.

MI's predicted playing XI vs PBKS

Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah

Also read: Will Virat Kohli play RCB vs LSG IPL 2026 game at Chinnaswamy?