It’s been over a year now since Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Mumbai Indians team. The change, which remains one of the most talked about topics in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, hasn’t just had fans but also some former cricketers baffled. Rohit Sharma is the most influential skipper for Mumbai Indians in IPL since 2013 and has led Mumbai Indians to record 5 titles in IPL .
While Rohit Sharma continues to lead the Indian national cricket team, it’s Hardik Pandya who captained his IPL franchise in 2024 on his return to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans early in trade window before the auction for IPL 2024.
Rohit Sharma’s journey with Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma’s journey with the Mumbai Indians has been nothing short of legendary. Since joining the franchise in 2011 as a promising young talent, Rohit has left an indelible mark, featuring in 199 IPL matches adorned in the iconic Blue and Gold attire. Throughout his tenure, he has amassed an impressive tally of 5,084 runs at an average of 29.39 and a strike rate of 129.86. Notably, he has registered one century and 34 fifties in 195 innings for MI, with a highest score of 109*.
Upon assuming the captaincy from Ricky Ponting in 2013, Rohit ushered in a golden era for the franchise. Under his leadership, Mumbai Indians clinched the IPL trophy on five occasions within a span of 10 years (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020), along with two playoff appearances.
Last year, Rohit’s captaincy baton was passed to Hardik Pandya, who ascended to the role following his stellar performances, particularly during his tenure with the Gujarat Titans (GT), where he emerged as a standout player, culminating in a title-winning debut season in 2022.
Post Hardik’s appointment as MI’s skipper , MI’s performance dipped down as they crashed out early in the league stages of IPL creating sparks that Rohit Sharma would eventual part ways with the franchise in the upcoming IPL season. As the 2025 IPL mega auction draws near, a lot of eyes will be on the Mumbai Indians, who must choose whether to hold on to their former captain Rohit Sharma. Last season, MI handed the captaincy to Hardik Pandya, who was transferred from Gujarat Titans.
MI are the winners of a record five IPL titles under Rohit but their change of hands at the top didn’t quite work out as smoothly as they would’ve liked. There was widespread displeasure among fans over the decision to replace Rohit as captain and Pandya copped boos at the Wankhede Stadium and MI finished rock bottom in the league stage.
It could be a different situation for Pandya this year, though. The all-rounder turned around his form and his standing with the fans by being an integral part of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. Rohit’s former Mumbai Indians teammate Harbhajan Singh believes that if the 38-year-old is not retained by the Mumbai franchise, it will ignite a massive bidding war at the auction.
Harbhajan Singh expects bidding war for Rohit Sharma at IPL 2025 auction
Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh expects a fascinating bidding war among teams for Rohit Sharma should he enter the 2025 IPL auction. With the rules and regulations announced by the IPL ahead of the Mega auction, teams can retain up to five capped and six overall players through straight retention or the Right-To-Match (RTM) card.
However, with the fourth and fifth retentions also priced at ₹ 18 and ₹ crores like the first two retentions, teams will be wary of going beyond three retentions. It is also worth remembering that Rohit Sharma was replaced by Hardik Pandya as MI captain ahead of the 2024 IPL season.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Delhi about Rohit Sharma possibly entering the auction, Harbhajan Singh was quoted by Times of India as saying:
“It will be interesting to see whether he will be retained or not. If he goes into the auction pool, it will be fascinating to see which team bids for him. I’m sure many teams must be thinking along those lines.”
He added:
“Rohit Sharma, as a leader and a player, is amazing. He’s a top-quality player, top-quality captain, and leader. He’s a proven match-winner. Even at 37, he still has a lot of cricket left in him. If Rohit enters the auction, he will fetch big bucks. It will be exciting to see the auction unfold.”
Rohit Sharma had an inconsistent 2024 IPL season with the bat, scoring 417 runs at an average of 32.08 and a strike rate of 150 in 14 outings. However, MI endured a forgettable campaign, winning only four out of their 14 matches and finishing at the bottom of the points table.
“He respects his elders, and that’s one of his best qualities” – Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh further praised Rohit Sharma for the person he is off the field and how respectful he is to his elders.
Harbhajan played with MI from 2008 to 2017 and under Rohit during his final five years with the franchise, helping them win three of their five IPL titles.
“Rohit toh yaaro ka yaar hai. Apna bhai hai. I’m happy India won the World Cup under him. It’s always great to see him smiling. He respects his elders, and that’s one of his best qualities,” said Harbhajan.
Rohit Sharma led MI to all five of their IPL titles and recently captained India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title. Rohit Sharma was last featured in the Test series against Bangladesh where team India broke a plethora of records with their destructive batting to whitewash the two-Test match series. Rohit Sharma and Jaiswal’s batting carnage helped India to register the team’s fastest 50, 100, 150, 200 in Test cricket.
Rohit Sharma will now feature in the upcoming Test series against New Zealand which is scheduled to start from October 16. After that Men in Blue will travel to Australia where Rohit will most likely to miss the first Test match citing personal reasons.