Mumbai Indians reach Alibaug for team bonding session; Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah yet to join - Reports
Mumbai Indians (MI) have reportedly reached Alibaug for a special team bonding session ahead of IPL 2024. However, it seems like the team's star opener Rohit Sharma and ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah are yet to join the Mumbai-based franchise for this exercise.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, Arjun Tendulkar, and other players reached Alibaug for this session. Support staff members Mark Boucher, Lasith Malinga and Kieron Pollard also joined them.
The players reportedly took some rest and then participated in a game of paintball to improve their bonding. Hindustan Times shared the videos of the MI players' arrival in Alibaug on X.
Mumbai Indians had earlier dropped an arrival video of Rohit Sharma, when he joined the pre-season camp, but he was absent from the videos of the team arriving in Alibaug. Jasprit Bumrah was another notable absentee, but the ace fast bowler is yet to link up with the squad.
Young batters Tilak Verma and Dewald Brevis were also absent from the clips. The duo had been practicing in the pre-season camp.
Mumbai Indians to start their IPL 2024 campaign on Sunday evening against Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans (GT) will host Mumbai Indians for their first match of the IPL 2024 season on Sunday evening (March 24) at the Narendra Modi Stadium. MI lost against GT in the Qualifier 2 match of IPL 2023 to be eliminated from the tournament.
The Indians will be keen to avenge that loss when they take the field against the Titans. Interestingly, Hardik Pandya, who captained Gujarat Titans in the Qualifier 2 match of IPL 2023, has now become the skipper of the MI franchise. The match will begin at 7:30 pm IST on Sunday.