A rumour has been doing the rounds that Rohit Sharma will be leaving Mumbai Indians for Kolkata Knight Riders. However, on the same day Rohit Sharma‘s close friend Abhishek Nayar—who has also worked with him on his batting—joined KKR as head coach, Mumbai Indians all but confirmed that Rohit Sharma will not be going to KKR.
Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday officially named former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar as their new head coach following the departure of Chandrakant Pandit after a three-season tenure. Nayar has been associated with KKR since 2018 and is considered one of the key members of their think tank, often viewed as someone who held significant influence in the dressing room, especially in team selection.
The 43-year-old, who played three ODIs for India, is well respected as a personal coach and has worked individually with players like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Dinesh Karthik, to name a few—apart from his own discovery, Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
Earlier this week, reports suggested that Abhishek Nayar is set to take over as the new head coach of KKR, replacing Chandrakant Pandit. Nayar, who has played a significant role in shaping many Indian cricketers including Rohit Sharma has been regarded as a key influence in the opener’s transformation and resurgence in form. This connection, combined with KKR’s recent social media engagement, triggered a massive wave of speculation that Rohit Sharma might leave Mumbai Indians for the Kolkata franchise.
The sparks first flew when KKR congratulated Rohit Sharma for becoming the World No.1 ODI batter, and a fan mischievously asked if the message meant Rohit was heading to KKR. KKR replied: “CONFIRM World No.1 Men’s ODI Batter.” That one-word reply was enough to fuel theories of the biggest IPL trade ever.
The message, which subtly played on the word Knight, is being seen as Mumbai Indians’ way of dismissing the rumours. The tone was confident, emotional, and assertive—suggesting the franchise is not entertaining the idea of letting their most iconic player walk away. However Former Indian cricketer now commentator Mohammad Kaif believes that KKR might strike a deal with MI for Rohit Sharma ahead of IPL 2026.
Mohammad Kaif believes that KKR might strike a deal with MI for Rohit Sharma ahead of IPL 2026
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif believes that there is a possibility that the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) engage in trade talks ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the three-time champions would be keen to get five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma after Abhishek Nayar’s elevation as head coach of the Kolkata-based franchise. He, however, believes that the 38-year-old Rohit Sharma would continue to be faithful to the Ambani-owned franchise.
Kaif’s remarks came after reports that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are engaged in a trade deal between Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja. As per ESPNcricinfo, RR wants to trade Samson with CSK all-rounders Jadeja and Sam Curran. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said on Sunday (November 9):
“They might be looking to pull Rohit Sharma as well. Abhishek Nayar would be keen to have him. Who wouldn’t want him as captain? He’s a five-time IPL-winning captain. Rohit, obviously, would have had a lot of options last year as well. He wouldn’t want to leave his faithfulness. He might come up with a similar answer this year.”
The 44-year-old reiterated that Rohit Sharma should play as a captain in IPL. He continued:
“He should play as captain till he plays, which I’ve said last year as well. Whatever he can do, there would be very few players who can run a team like that, like picking three or four spinners in the 2024 T20 World Cup, as per the conditions.”
Kaif’s statement came as MI played Rohit Sharma mostly as an impact substitute in the last IPL season.Mohammad Kaif further slammed KKR for shelling out INR 23.75 crore on Venkatesh Iyer last season. The former cricketer said that a franchise spends such amounts for captaincy roles or genuine all-rounders. He added that the Knight Riders made Ajinkya Rahane their skipper at the last minute.
“KKR spent a huge amount of money on Venkatesh Iyer last year. It’s not only about batting and winning games. It is done when you see a leadership role or when the individual is an all-rounder, bowls and bats as well. In KKR, there are a lot of people from Mumbai, so at the last minute, they made Rahane the captain,” Kaif said in the same video.
Venkatesh Iyer scored just 142 runs in seven innings (11 matches) at a strike rate of 139.21, including a half-century in IPL 2025. Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane and company finished eighth in the points table, managing only five wins in 14 games, including seven losses.
Rohit Sharma has been the face of Mumbai Indians for over a decade, having led the team to five IPL titles and establishing a legacy unparalleled in franchise cricket. His bond with the MI fanbase remains one of the strongest in the league. While no official transfer movement is currently confirmed in either camp, the public post from Mumbai suggests they are not only aware of the noise but are ready to shut it down.
However, the situation could still evolve with the mini-auction set for December. If there’s one thing the IPL has taught everyone over the years, it’s this In cricket, nothing is impossible until it is. The retention list of all 10 franchises will be announced on November 15.
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