IPL 2023: Meme fest ensures after Rohit Sharma misses captains' photoshoot

Rohit Sharma (Pic Courtesy: AFP)

A day after Mumbai Indians shared a video of their talismanic captain Rohit Sharma hitting a wonderful lofted shot on the leg side in the nets, the right-handed batter went off missing as captains of the remaining nine teams posed with the IPL 2023 trophy at the Narendra Modi stadium on Thursday. Sharma's absence from the photoshoot, which saw the gathering of all IPL captains, set Internet on fire. Mumbai fans engaged in some hilarious banter with their rivals, as some concluded that the Indian captain will be seen posing with the trophy at the end of the tournament while others joked that Mumbai Indians have given up too early.

Below are a few tweets that caught our attention.

Sharma was last seen in action earlier this month during India's three-match home ODI series against Australia. While he wasn't available for the opening fixture, he scored 13 and 30 in the second and third ODIs respectively. The lanky opener's form was under the scanner in the previous season of the cash-rich league. Sharma had an underwhelming average of 19.14, finishing with 268 runs from 14 outings.

Also Read: IPL 2023: MI's SWOT Analysis - Strengths, Weakness & Match-winners Of The Squad

Mumbai will look to lift the trophy for a record-extending sixth time. They have already won in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 editions, all under the captaincy of Sharma. However, they had a forgettable campaign in the last edition after having finished at the bottom of the points table, losing 10 out of 14 games. The franchise will require Jofra Archer to step up in the absence of their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah who continues to recover from injury.

The defending champions Gujarat Titans will take on heavyweights Chennai Super Kings in what promises to be an exciting IPL 2023 opener on March 31, Mumbai Indians will kick off their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 2 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.