IPL 2025: [Explained] Why Rohit Sharma is not in Mumbai Indians’ playing XI against SRH?

Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 33rd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

MI vs SRH: Captains’ take at the toss

“We will bowl first. It has a lot to do with the dew. We have seen a lot of dew in the last few days, and batting becomes easier in the second innings. The victory we had in the previous game brought us together. We are backing all the batters. We don’t have to worry about Jasprit Bumrah, as he is the kind of guy who wouldn’t have returned if he was not fit,” said Hardik after winning the toss at Wankhede.

SRH skipper Pat Cummins was perfectly comfortable with batting first. “Batting first is fine. It looks like a good wicket, and it doesn’t matter. We have had two good days of training in Mumbai and are ready to go. You will not get a reverse swing when there is a dew,” he said.

Reason behind Rohit Sharma’s absence in Mumbai Indians’ playing XI

Despite relinquishing captaincy to Hardik last season, Rohit has remained an influential figure within MI’s leadership structure. This IPL season has seen a strategic use of Rohit as an Impact Player, with spinners Vignesh Puthur and Karn Sharma substituting him in various matches. Interestingly, during the game against Gujarat Titans, young batter Robin Minz came in as the Impact Player, replacing fast bowler Satyanarayana Raju in the second innings.

In the current scenario, it’s anticipated that Rohit will be the Impact Player, likely taking the place of Karn Sharma in the second half of the match.

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MI vs SRH: Playing XI and Impact Subs for both teams

Mumbai Indians

Playing XI: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Karn Sharma.

Impact Subs: Rohit Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Robin Minz.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Playing XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen (w), Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Zeeshan Ansari, Mohammed Shami, Eshan Malinga.

Impact Subs: Abhinav Manohar, Jaydev Unadkat, Sachin Baby, Rahul Chahar, Wiaan Mulder.

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