IPL 2025 is set to get underway on Saturday, May 17, and the franchises are steadily gearing up for the restart. On Wednesday, five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) commenced for their first training session following the news of the tournament's restart. Headlining Mumbai Indians' return to action was stalwart Rohit Sharma and batter Tilak Varma. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene and New Zealander Mitchell Santner were also present among the prominent names. However, stars like captain Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav have seemingly not yet arrived.
In a series of visuals and videos released by the franchise on social media, it is apparent that Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Santner, Karn Sharma, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar and Raj Bawa are among the players back in training.
Head coach Mahela Jayawardene and bowling coach Lasith Malinga have also returned.
Mumbai Indians now await the return of Indian spearheads Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah - three players who have been extremely crucial in the reversal of their fortunes in IPL 2025.
Mumbai Indians have had a roller-coaster IPL 2025 campaign, going from just one win from their first five games to a stunning run of six wins in a row that has seen them enter playoff contention heading into the final phase of the season.
MI started off the season poorly, and were languishing near the bottom-half of the table for the initial stages of the season. However, the return of Jasprit Bumrah coincided with a dramatic return to form. Rohit Sharma found his mojo back, slamming three half-centuries in four matches, and building a stable opening combination with South African Ryan Rickelton.
Pandya and Suryakumar have arguably been MI's two best performers. The latter has set a record of the most consecutive scores of 25 or more in IPL history, in a streak of 12 straight matches doing so.
Bumrah, meanwhile, has scalped 13 wickets in just eight matches, marking a terrific return from his injury lay-off.
However, a dramatic defeat to Gujarat Titans (GT) in their final game before the suspension of the season has left MI in the fourth spot on the table, on 14 points. MI will face fellow-playoff contenders Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their final two matches, leaving their playoff ambitions firmly in their own hands.
However, MI will also hope that they are able to get the services of all their key overseas players for the entirety of the season. With Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch selected for South Africa's World Test Championship (WTC) final squad, they may be ruled out of the playoffs should MI make it till then.