IPL 2026: Who will open for Mumbai Indians in place of Rohit Sharma? A fierce battle is brewing between two players.

Mumbai Indians' veteran opener, Rohit Sharma, sustained a hamstring injury during the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Following this, reports suggest that Rohit Sharma will be unable to participate in Mumbai Indians' next two matches. The five-time IPL champions, Mumbai Indians, are set to face Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

The Mumbai squad is currently going through a challenging phase. After winning their opening match in the ongoing IPL season, the team lost its momentum and suffered three consecutive defeats. The Hardik Pandya-led squad currently sits in 9th place on the IPL 2026 points table. They have registered just one win in four matches while losing three encounters.

The Battle for the Spot

Nevertheless, as Mumbai Indians take the field on Thursday without Rohit Sharma, it will be interesting to see who steps up to open the innings alongside Riyan Rickelton. Incidentally, a fierce battle is currently underway between two players to fill Rohit Sharma's spot. Either Naman Dhir or Suryakumar Yadav could be seen opening the innings.

Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan has also identified Naman Dhir and Suryakumar Yadav as the ideal replacements for Rohit Sharma. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Zaheer Khan stated, "Mumbai has an opening option in the form of Naman Dhir. If Rohit Sharma remains unavailable due to injury, Naman could be seen opening the innings. Suryakumar Yadav has also opened in the past, making him another strong contender."

Zaheer further added, "If Mumbai Indians opt to select an overseas player as a replacement for Rohit Sharma, they would have to compromise on a bowler." It is worth noting that Rohit Sharma has scored 137 runs in four matches in IPL 2026, maintaining a strike rate of 165.05. In the match against RCB, he retired hurt after scoring 19 runs.

Naman and Surya's Performance

It is worth noting that Naman Dhir and Suryakumar Yadav—the two leading contenders to open in place of Rohit Sharma—have not delivered particularly impressive performances with the bat. Naman has scored a mere 59 runs across 4 matches in IPL 2026, while Surya has accumulated 106 runs in 4 matches, aided by a solitary half-century. It will be interesting to see whom Hardik Pandya places his trust in to open the innings against Punjab.