'That's the goal', Rohit Sharma gives clear message for Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2023

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma spoke in a press conference on Wednesday (March 29) ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League.

Mumbai Indians had a dismal last season where they finished at the bottom of the table. The five-time champions just managed 4 wins out of 14 games and struggled to make any impact. As they embark into the new season, MI captain Rohit Sharma believes winning the title will be the ultimate goal.

"That's the goal (winning the IPL). We need to get a lot of things right. IPL is a long tournament as it goes on for around two months and we need to play 16-17 games to win the trophy. We have to focus on that and divide it into two to three halves and take it from there," Rohit Sharma said at the press conference.

During the press conference, MyKhel asked the Mumbai Indians captain about the role of the Impact Player rule and how the new introduction will affect the strategies of the teams.

"It is an interesting rule and a new introduction to IPL. We will focus on our thing. We will get an idea of the rule in the first couple of games and we will have to implement that properly. We will try and make sure to get the best players," he said.

Mark Boucher is the head coach for MI this season. The former South Africa coach will be working alongside Zaheer Khan, Mahela Jayawardene and others with the Mumbai Indians.

"I like to learn and grow. I have learned so much from Mark Boucher, him as a player and as South Africa coach. For me, that will be key and understand how Mark has played his cricket. When I get a different personality, I get excited.

I am looking forward to picking up his brain. This is what both of us want, to get forward and do the best for the team. I am quite keen to take this forward," the MI captain added.

He also believes Jasprit Bumrah's unavailability will be a huge miss for the team but also asserts it will be an opportunity for a youngster or a different player to take centre stage and rise in absence of the star bowler.

Mumbai Indians will be kickstarting their campaign this year with a trip to M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 2, where they face Royal Challengers Bangalore.