Predicted Mumbai Indians Playing XI vs LSG: Bring Shardul Thakur back but what about Rohit Sharma?

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The Mumbai Indians (MI) return at the Wankhede Stadium for the second-last time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. This season has been horrific for the five-time champions, having lost seven games in nine attempts so far. They are virtually out of the playoff chances and only need to prevent further damage now. Fortunately for them, MI face a team that is even below them in the points table, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). However, LSG have a superb head-to-head record (2-6) over MI.

To improve Mumbai’s chance, they really need to shuffle the things in their team. Not that it has helped so far, but the current team lacks confidence and charisma. Mumbai have used the most number of players (23) so far. They should make at least one more change.

Is Rohit Sharma fit for MI vs LSG game?

Mumbai have dearly missed Rohit Sharma. The former MI captain had a good start to his campaign, scoring 137 runs at 45.66 and 165.06. However, an in-match hamstring struggle dented his year, with MI playing their next five matches without him. The batting core, without Rohit, has been non-existent. Both Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya have played five and four innings more than Rohit but have scored just 46 and 9 runs more than the Hitman.

Naman Dhir, who is playing up top, has been inconsistent as well. Although he was the shining light in MI’s previous loss to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He is of massive importance, now that Suryakumar has passed his prime. Meanwhile, Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks should continue to open in Rohit’s absence. Rohit is unlikely to play, since there has been no update from MI’s side. He has been seen practising from the last few matches but that’s it. It is the MS Dhoni situation. Both are seen batting in the nets but are absent from the team sheet.

Predicted MI Playing XI vs CSK


1	Ryan Rickelton (wk)	Wicketkeeper
2	Will Jacks	Batting all-rounder
3	Naman Dhir	Top-order batter
4	Suryakumar Yadav	Middle-order batter
5	Tilak Varma	Middle-order batter
6	Hardik Pandya (c)	All-rounder
7	Robin Minz	Wicketkeeper batter
8	Allah Ghazanfar	Mystery spinner
9	Trent Boult	Left-arm fast bowler
10	Jasprit Bumrah	Right-arm fast bowler
11	Ashwani Kumar	Left-arm fast bowler
Impact Sub	Shardul Thakur	All-rounder