3 players who could replace Rohit Sharma if he is ruled out of IPL 2026

Rohit Sharma suffered a right hamstring injury during game against RCB at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2026.

Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) locked horns at Wankhede Stadium in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash, with RCB posting a mammoth 240 for four after Phil Salt and Virat Kohli forged a sensational 120-run opening stand. Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton gave MI a flying start in reply, racing to 57 runs in just 5.2 overs, before Rohit called the physio onto the field in the sixth over and had his right hamstring strapped.

Despite the medical attention, Rohit Sharma decided his movement was too compromised to carry on, and he walked off to a stunned Wankhede crowd, having scored 19 runs off 13 balls. He never returned, and RCB claimed the match by 18 runs as Suryakumar Yadav, Ryan Rickelton, and Hardik Pandya all made starts without crossing the line.

If this hamstring injury keeps Rohit out for a significant chunk of the season, MI needs an Indian top-order replacement with the pedigree and temperament to handle that kind of pressure. The unsold pool still has 48 Indian players who found no takers in Abu Dhabi, and three names stand out as perfect replacements for MI.

3 players who could replace Rohit Sharma if he is ruled out of 2026 IPL

3. Anmolpreet Singh

Anmolpreet Singh did not find a buyer in the auction despite being Punjab’s second-highest run-scorer in the SMAT 2025-26 season. In the tournament, the opener smashed 349 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 175.37. The right-handed opener has a deep history with the Mumbai Indians.

The franchise first signed him back in 2019, and hence, they know exactly what he brings to the top of the order. He has a knack for attacking pace from the first ball, maintaining the high-tempo identity Rohit has built at MI over the years. At 27 and in the form of his life, picking him up would be a low-cost, high-reward move for the franchise.

2. Yash Dhull

Looking at players with a more established IPL track record, Yash Dhull is a curious case. He hammered 435 runs in eight DPL 2025 matches at a strike rate of 167.31, then followed it up with 434 Ranji Trophy runs across five games. Despite those numbers, no franchise even glanced at him at his INR 30 lakh base price.

Dhull offers something rare, and that’s the ability to build a solid platform without slowing down. His domestic consistency heading into 2026 deserved much more respect than it got in the auction room.

1. Mayank Agarwal

However, the most obvious pick in the entire unsold pool has to be Mayank Agarwal. With 2,756 runs across 131 IPL matches, including a century and 13 fifties, he knows how to anchor a chase without throwing his wicket away. His recent Ranji Trophy form, 678 runs at an average of 42.37, shows a veteran who is still at the top of his game.

He even stepped in as an injury replacement for RCB in 2025 and immediately contributed 95 runs in four games. For a team that can’t afford a settling in period from a replacement, Agarwal is the most complete option on the board.

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