#WATCH: Rohit smashes monstrous six in MI nets

• MI players began pre-season training on Monday, ahead of the IPL 2026.
• Rohit Sharma playfully teased Shardul Thakur in nets, a viral video shows.
• Coach Jayawardene stressed setting a strong tone early, with seniors joining soon.

With a few hours of the Mumbai Indians beginning their pre-season training on Monday (March 16), the banter and jokes between some of their best players have started to go viral on social media. Ahead

of the 2026 Indian Premier League, which is set to start on March 28, MI shared a video of former captain Rohit Sharma badly roasting Shardul Thakur in the nets, which garnered thousands of impressions in a few hours.

The video showed Thakur bowling to Rohit in the nets. The all-rounder, traded from the Lucknow Super Giants before the season, misses his length and was smoked for a six. As he walked down to admire the shot, Rohit said repeatedly, ‘Catch it… in the stands’. Thakur couldn’t help but smile.

Watch it here:

Shaana and Lord’s banter is already here 😂 pic.twitter.com/8SZHCH0hit

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 17, 2026

Other players to report at the camp included Mayank Markande, Allah Ghazanfar, Naman Dhir, Raja Angad Bawa, Robin Minz, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Danish Malewar, Mohammad Izhar, and Ashwani Kumar, as the franchise got its preparations underway.

Seniors like Jasprit Bumrah and captain Hardik Pandya are expected to join the squad in the coming days. The opening session began with a structured fitness and conditioning block, with players undergoing movement drills, agility routines and fitness assessments under the supervision of the support staff.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene recently emphasised the importance of setting the tone early in the pre-season.

“There’s always something special about the first day of pre-season. You see the players walk in, the energy builds, and the objective is to start strong. We’ve got the boys who know this franchise inside out, and we have got some exciting new faces coming in,” he said.

“Day one sets the tone for the entire campaign. We wanted everyone to feel the intent from the very first session, in how we train, how we prepare, and how we show up for each other. The first session is always exciting, but it’s also the start of something serious and we know what we’re building towards,” he added.

Mumbai Indians, who reached the playoffs last season, will begin their 2026 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium.