MI are set to open their IPL 2023 campaign against RCB on April 2.
Ahead of the game, MI head coach Mark Boucher addressed a press conference, where he confirmed that skipper Rohit Sharma and pacer Jofra Archer are fit for the fixture.
There were reports suggesting that Rohit might not be available for MI’s tournament opener as he had missed the captains' photo shoot in Ahmedabad but Boucher dismissed the speculations.
"Yes, Rohit is fit. He has trained the last two days and is 100 per cent ready to go. I think he didn't feel particularly well that morning and just as a precaution, we told him to stay at home," Boucher said at the pre-match media conference.
"There are a lot of photo shoots the boys have had to do. He's not had a lot of time to himself so we thought it was better," he added.
In Jasprit Bumrah's absence, England speedster Jofra Archer, who recently made a comeback to competitive cricket after a prolonged hiatus due to multiple injuries, will spearhead the MI pace attack.
"Jofra is good, he is 100 per cent ready for tomorrow. He didn't train today, it was an optional training session. He felt that he was ready to put the spikes on tomorrow. We are very happy with his progression since he has been with us. He'll be playing tomorrow."
MI had endured a poor last season where they finished 10th but Boucher doesn't want to look back as he wasn't associated with the team then.
"I can't comment too much about last year I wasn't there. But we have spoken about it, some new talents in the team, new energy, some guys who have done really well in the previous IPLs.
"They understand that last year we didn't have a good season but things can change very quickly, energies have been good, we are in a good space. If we get off to good start great, if we don't we'll definitely not panic. The IPL is not won in April or March, it's won in May. Hopefully, we can get a good start and get some momentum."
(With PTI Inputs)