mumbai: Mumbai Indians suffered a major blow during their chase against Royal Challengers Bengaluru as skipper Rohit Sharma was forced to leave the field midway due to a hamstring injury in their Indian Premier League 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium.

Rohit, who was batting fluently on 19 off 13 balls, walked off after appearing in visible discomfort, disrupting Mumbai’s momentum in a steep chase of 241.

Hamstring issue derails MI’s start

The experienced opener looked in good touch before the injury struck. However, his body language and pained expression suggested the issue was more than just a minor niggle.

Given the magnitude of the chase, Rohit’s decision to retire hurt indicated the seriousness of the problem, as it is rare for a player of his calibre to leave in such a crucial situation unless absolutely necessary.

Setback in a big chase

At the time of Rohit’s exit, Mumbai Indians were building a solid platform in the powerplay. His departure, however, halted their early momentum and added pressure on the middle order.

Despite a strong start alongside Ryan Rickelton, MI struggled to maintain the same tempo after losing key wickets at regular intervals.

Kohli also deals with injury concern

Interestingly, RCB also had an injury concern during the match, with Virat Kohli not taking the field later due to an ankle issue.

Despite that, Kohli had already made a significant impact with the bat, scoring a composed half-century and continuing his strong record against Mumbai Indians.

Kohli reaches major milestone

During the match, Kohli achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first batter to score over 1,000 runs against Mumbai Indians in IPL history.

He now has over 1,030 runs against MI, underlining his consistency against the five-time champions. The knock also featured in a crucial 120-run opening partnership with Phil Salt, which laid the foundation for RCB’s massive total.

RCB post 240, MI fall short

RCB’s batting unit fired collectively, posting 240/4 with major contributions from Salt (78), Kohli (50), and skipper Rajat Patidar (53). Tim David added a late flourish with an unbeaten 34.

In reply, MI fought hard, with a late blitz from Sherfane Rutherford (71* off 31), but ultimately finished at 222/5, falling short by 18 runs.

Conclusion

Rohit Sharma’s injury proved to be a turning point in the match, derailing Mumbai Indians’ chase at a crucial stage. With the tournament still in its early phase, MI will be hoping their skipper recovers quickly, as his presence at the top remains vital to their campaign.