On Sunday, March 29, at the Wankhede Stadium, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin observed how the younger Rohit Sharma took advantage of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) subpar bowling to put on a show. In the historic five-wicket victory, the Mumbai Indians (MI) opener struck an incredible 38-ball 78 to start the season with two points.
Rohit Sharma was crucial to the run chase after the opposition set a massive goal of 221. Taking on the bowlers and putting on a historic 148-run opening partnership off just 71 deliveries, the Hitman performed his job flawlessly.
Rohit Sharma smashed six fours and six sixes throughout his innings, with a strike rate of 205.26. He was headed for a century, but Anukul Roy’s spectacular catch off Vaibhav Arora’s bowling prevented him from scoring.
This new Rohit Sharma is a huge asset for MI in the 2026 Indian Premier League, according to R Ashwin.
“KKR just fed him. The moment he hit that pull shot of Vaibhav Arora, he was set there only. Leaner, fitter, meaner, stronger Rohit is adding more strength to this MI team. Santner and Jacks were not available, Deepak Chahar was not there. Anyone can come in this team, they can change the combination any way, they have such a strong line-up,” R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Rohit Sharma last played in the home ODI series against New Zealand at the beginning of the year before IPL 2026, and he did not have the best of performances.
“The switch moment happened two months before only” – R Ashwin on Shardul Thakur’s performance in MI vs KKR IPL 2026 match
According to R Ashwin, the five-time winners’ decision to acquire Shardul Thakur from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) two months prior to the game was the pivotal point in the MI vs. KKR encounter.
The all-rounder was immediately put into the mix and went on to become both the player of the match and the best bowler. He finished with stats of 3-39 after taking the crucial wickets of Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane, and Cameron Green.
“The switch moment happened two months before only. He was taken in trade by MI, that only ended up being huge switch. He was played ahead of Deepak Chahar today, and when the opposition scored 220, Shardul Thakur picked up 3-39. If he has any shortcomings, he compensates it with attitude,” Ashwin said.
Over the past five seasons, Shardul Thakur has now represented five different teams. After being released by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) following the 2021 Indian Premier League, he played for the Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, CSK for a second time, Lucknow Super Giants, and now the Mumbai Indians (MI).
