Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani fails to recognise Rohit Sharma after batting great’s unbelievable transformation

The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) promises a fresh start for Rohit Sharma. The joint-most successful IPL captain with five titles, Rohit hasn’t enjoyed the best of runs in recent years, crossing the 400-run mark just twice since 2019. However, this time feels different. Leaner and fitter after a remarkable weight-loss transformation, Rohit looks determined to reclaim his dominance in the T20 format. His transformation has already caught attention, with Eoin Morgan and Brendon McCullum even teasing the former India captain during the T20 World Cup knockouts. And ahead of the Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 opener on Sunday, franchise owner Nita Ambani was the latest to be left impressed.

As Nita Ambani made her way to the ground, she greeted batting coach Kieron Pollard, affectionately calling him ‘Polly Kaka’. As she went around shaking hands, her attention turned to Rohit Sharma. Seeing him, she could hardly believe it was her former captain. “You look like a boy,” she exclaimed, drawing a bright smile from Rohit.

Watch the clip below:

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Rohit has reportedly lost close to 11 kilos and is heading into the IPL 2026 aiming for his best show in years. Last year, Rohit scored 418 runs, his best in 10 years. The season prior, Rohit managed 417 runs, but out of those 100 came against KKR.

Last year, barring a couple of matches, Rohit featured primarily as an Impact Player – a role that is likely to continue this season. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene hinted that while he would prefer Rohit to play through the match, the presence of only two specialist batters – Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav – makes that difficult.

MI, the five-time champions, start their IPL 2026 campaign on Sunday, taking on the three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium. MI lead KKR 10-2 at this venue and overall, 35-34.

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