Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher stated on Wednesday that the team would consider resting captain Rohit Sharma for one or two games during the upcoming IPL 2023 season if it would make him feel more rested and ready to perform. Mumbai Indians will begin their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 2.
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“In terms of resting Rohit, he is the captain. Hopefully, he gets into good form and hopefully, he doesn’t want to rest. But, yeah, we will react to whatever the situation is. If I can get the best out of him as a captain and a player if he rests one or two games, then I will do that,” Boucher said in a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Boucher explained during a press conference in Mumbai that Rohit’s well-being is a priority and that they would respond to the situation accordingly. If resting him for a game or two would optimize his performance as a captain and player, they would do so.
“Regarding Bumrah’s replacement, we’ve been discussing a few options. Hopefully, we can close it down in the next couple of days, and then we will see how we will go about it,” Rohit said in the press conference.
Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah will not play for Mumbai Indians due to a recurring back issue. Rohit mentioned that the team would decide on a replacement for the injured pacer in the coming days. Bumrah has been sidelined since September 2022, missing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. While he has completed rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and has been bowling in the nets, the BCCI has chosen not to rush his return.
Rohit acknowledged Bumrah’s absence as a significant loss but emphasized that it presents an opportunity for young players to showcase their talent. Speculations suggest that Arjun Tendulkar, son of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, might make his IPL debut in light of Bumrah’s injury. Boucher confirmed that Arjun is currently recovering from an injury and his availability for selection would be beneficial for the team.
“We have been talking about Bumrah. He is a big miss. Jasprit Bumrah’s role was quite important for Mumbai Indians, it’s a big shoe to fill. But it gives someone else an opportunity for the youngsters in the team to showcase their talent. We have a couple of guys who have been with this team for the last few years. They are very much ready to take the centre stage and hopefully can blood in some youngsters,” he added.
Mumbai Indians will begin their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday April 2 under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
2023 Mumbai Indians IPL Schedule Squad:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Dewald Brevis, Ramandeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Shams Mulani, Piyush Chawla, Cameron Green, Kumar Kartikeya, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Ishan Kishan, Tristan Stubbs, Vishnu Vinod, Jofra Archer, Arshad Khan, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghav Goyal, Duan Jansen, Akash Madhwal and Jhye Richardson