Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 23 (ANI): Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has clarified that Rohit Sharma's inclusion and workload management are based solely on team combination and fitness assessment, as the franchise prepares for its IPL 2026 fixture against Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Sunday clash at the Wankhede Stadium, Jayawardene said Sharma has been managed carefully following a hamstring injury and has been gradually eased back into full fitness.

'I think even before he got injured, we used him in a couple of games. We feel that a few games he was impacted, as I explained, it is purely on the team combination, and the people that we want on the field have to be on the field,' Jayawardene said.

He further stressed that the Mumbai Indians operate independently of external team requirements and that Rohit fully understands his role within the setup.

'To be honest, I don't think about the Indian team or what their requirements are when I am assembling a team for the Mumbai Indians. I set it up, and Rohit understands that he is a team player,' he added.

Jayawardene said Rohit has shown commitment to the team's plans and has worked his way back after injury with careful workload management.

'He understands what is required for the Mumbai Indians, and we go about it. Yes, he had a hamstring injury. We gave him the time that he needed to recover, and then he came back. We were cautious even with his batting, the way he was running, because he had to adapt slowly, gradually coming back into it,' he said.

The MI head coach reiterated that all selection and fitness decisions are backed by the medical team and are based strictly on current requirements rather than past contributions.

'But for me, the medical team, everything is 100%. We are not putting him on the field because of what we have done in the past as well. It is just a team combination, and it has nothing to do with it,' Jayawardene said.

He also expressed hope that ongoing discussions outside the franchise setup do not create unnecessary speculation around the player's role.

'I hope that it doesn't impact whatever the conversations or whatever is happening outside this bubble,' he concluded.

Mumbai, who are already out of the IPL 2026, will look to end their campaign on a positive note.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, will look to secure a victory and seal their playoff birth. A loss against Mumbai will put the Royals in a tricky position as they will be dependent on other teams to qualify for the playoffs.

Squads: Mumbai Indians Squad: Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghu Sharma, AM Ghazanfar, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, Trent Boult, Keshav Maharaj, Sherfane Rutherford, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar, Danish Malewar, Mayank Markande, Ashwani Kumar. Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal(c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Sushant Mishra, Sandeep Sharma, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Aman Rao Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Riyan Parag, Ravindra Jadeja, Adam Milne, Shimron Hetmyer, Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka, Tushar Deshpande, Kuldeep Sen, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh. (ANI)