As the Mumbai Indians (MI) take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their 33rd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rohit Sharma joins an exclusive club by becoming the second player after MS Dhoni to feature in 250 matches in the tournament.
In his 249 matches to date, Rohit has amassed 6,472 runs at an average of 30.10. He made his IPL debut with the Deccan Chargers and joined MI in 2011.
Dhoni has appeared in 256 matches so far. In Chennai Super Kings' recent match this season against MI, Dhoni became the first player to feature in 250 matches for a single IPL team. Apart from CSK, he has also represented Rising Pune Supergiant.
Another IPL cricketer on the cusp of joining this prestigious club is Dinesh Karthik, who stands at 249 matches. Currently, he is in sublime form for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Besides RCB, he has played for Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, and Kolkata Knight Riders.
RCB's Virat Kohli is not too far behind. He has played 244 IPL matches, scoring 7,624 runs at an average of 38.12. He has been with the Challengers since 2008. Upon completing his 250th match, likely this season, he will also become the second player after Dhoni to achieve this feat for a single franchise.
Following closely is Ravindra Jadeja, who has featured in 232 IPL matches so far.
It must be noted that Rohit is playing is a player this season for Mumbai with Hardik Pandya leading the side. They have lost four games and won two so far. They are placed at 9th in the points table.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings have won the toss and they are bowling first.
Punjab Kings: Rilee Rossouw, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh
Impact Players: Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Shivam Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Vidwath Kaverappa
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Shreyas Gopal, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Players: Akash Madhwal, Nuwan Thushara, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Naman Dhir
- Rohit Sharma