Rohit and Kohli both pick up injuries as MI and RCB count the physical cost of Wankhede clash
Sunday's high-scoring encounter between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede delivered a compelling match, but it also left two of Indian cricket's biggest names nursing injuries that could have consequences well beyond this fixture.
Rohit walks off mid-chase with hamstring trouble
Rohit Sharma was looking sharp early in MI's chase of 241. He raced to 19 off 13 balls alongside Ryan Rickelton, who was blazing away at the other end with 37 off 22. Then, after the second ball of the sixth over, Rohit pulled up and signalled to the dugout. The physio rushed on, tapped heavily on his right hamstring and tried to get him through a few more deliveries. It was no use. Rohit walked off, replaced by Suryakumar Yadav, and never returned.
Under IPL rules, a retired hurt batter can come back with the opposing captain's permission. The fact that Rohit stayed in the dugout even as MI's chase crumbled tells you the franchise did not want to risk making a minor strain into something worse. At 38, soft-tissue injuries do not heal the way they used to. MI will wait for scan results before confirming whether he will miss any matches.
Kohli's ankle keeps him off the field
At the other end of the result, Kohli felt discomfort in his left ankle five balls into the 10th over of RCB's innings. He was on 35 off 25 at the time, and after receiving treatment he battled through to make 50 off 38 before Hardik Pandya dismissed him in the 14th over.
RCB opted not to risk him in the field during MI's chase, sending Jacob Bethell out as a substitute. Kohli spent the second innings watching from the dugout. No official update has been given on the severity, but the fact that he continued batting after the initial problem suggests it may be more precautionary than serious.
What it means for both sides
RCB won the match by 18 runs, with Phil Salt's 78 and Rajat Patidar's 53 doing the heavy lifting alongside Kohli's half-century. MI's third straight defeat drops them further down the table, and losing Rohit for any period would be a significant blow to a side already struggling for consistency.
Mumbai's next match brings another test. If Rohit is ruled out, the captaincy would likely fall to Suryakumar Yadav, who came in as replacement and will need to shoulder more responsibility. For RCB, the priority is making sure Kohli's ankle is nothing more than a minor knock. Their season is in good shape at third on the table, but it would look very different without him.
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