Rohit Sharma Faces Hamstring Injury Concern Ahead of MI's Crucial Match

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma will undergo scans to determine the severity of a hamstring injury that forced him to retire hurt during Sunday's match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The star batter's availability for Mumbai Indians' crucial encounter with Punjab Kings on Thursday (April 16) will depend entirely on the scan results.

Rohit, 38, walked off in the sixth over of MI's innings after scoring 19 off 13 deliveries with two fours and a six. The injury occurred during the final Powerplay over when he faced Rasikh Salam. Before retiring hurt, Rohit was attended to by the Mumbai Indians physio before the first delivery of that over, resulting in a lengthy stoppage for treatment. He returned to face the second ball, only to block it and walk off retired hurt.

The exact status of Rohit's injury will only become clear after the scan results reveal the extent of the damage. According to sources, there is no immediate communication on the matter except confirmation that Rohit has a hamstring issue.

"I'm not entirely sure yet - perhaps it's a bit of a hamstring issue - but I can't say for certain. I was in the dugout, so I don't have much information on it," teammate Sherfane Rutherford said in the post-match media conference.

Rohit has been a key performer for Mumbai Indians this season, scoring 137 runs in four matches including a half-century. He looked in good touch on Sunday night before the injury setback. With Mumbai Indians having lost three of their four games, the team will desperately need the experience of their talisman, who recently completed 15 years with the franchise.

Virat Kohli Also Suffers Minor Injury

Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli was also seen resting in the dressing room after RCB's batting innings. It was revealed that Kohli was sidelined from taking the field during MI's chase because of an ankle injury.

However, teammate Krunal Pandya allayed fears about the injury being serious. "I mean, I have not spoken to the physio yet, but I think he'll be fine," Pandya said after RCB won the game by 18 runs.

Kohli scored a 38-ball 50 earlier in the day at a strike rate of 131.57, considerably less than his season's strike rate of 162.73. But Pandya emphasized there was no concern over his performance.

"He has been striking at around 200 if you look at the last two or three games. At the end of the day, what matters is how we are playing as a unit. If we are able to put up 230-240, we will take that any day. If you look at his stats, he has been batting at a very good strike rate," Pandya said.

The developments add significant injury concerns to two of India's most prominent cricketers as the IPL season progresses, with both players potentially facing fitness challenges ahead of their next matches.