Rohit Sharma - Brand or Player? What will franchises target at IPL mega auction?
Rohit Sharma's numbers in the IPL have been dwindling over the last few years. With age not on his side, Mumbai Indians might even release him depending on the retention rules. In that case, which team will go or won't go for him and why? Know everything in our Sunday special story
Rohit Sharma might have led India to the T20 World Cup trophy after a long gap of 17 years, but his future with Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is still uncertain. Several reports suggest that Rohit may leave Mumbai while others claim that he will be released. The five-time champions paid him INR 16 crore every season since 2022.
But Rohit is not the captain anymore, and as a player, his returns with the bat have been frugal. With the mega auction set to take place later this year, will MI retain their former captain? If released, which teams will go for Rohit Sharma at the auction and why? All this and a lot more is analysed further in this India TV Sunday special story with inputs from cricketer-turned-commentators like Aakash Chopra and Irfan Pathan.
As far as Irfan is concerned, there will be a massive bidding war for Rohit at the auction if MI decide to release him. "There will be a huge bidding war for Rohit Sharma I am telling you. He brings one special thing with him and that is 'captaincy experience'. Every team will wish to have a captain like him. In the form of Rohit, they will get an Indian captain and therefore will be able to make good use of the Impact Player rule as having an overseas captain at times forces teams to keep him in the playing XI irrespective of his performance," Irfan said while exclusively speaking to India TV.
But then, will Rohit Sharma's final price at the auction be decided based on his recent form? Irfan's views are clear on this as he said, "Not at all, We all know what Hitman Rohit can do with the bat. Yes, one thing that each team will keep a keen eye on, will be his fitness. If Rohit Sharma is FIT, he will be HIT."
Which teams might go bonkers for Rohit at the auction?
Going by Irfan Pathan's views, let us see which teams might get into a bidding war to secure Rohit's services. Going by how the IPL 2024 finished, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants and even Delhi Capitals seem to require a captain. PBKS' skipper Shikhar Dhawan has already announced retirement from all forms of the sport and the franchise will need Rohit's expertise as captain and even the brand value for the next three years. As far as SRH is concerned, Pat Cummins did well leading the team but his price was too high and they might not afford to retain him as they will have to build a team as well. In that case, the franchise might prefer picking Rohit as their skipper and then build the rest of the team around him depending on their retentions.
Lucknow Super Giants are yet to confirm if they will retain KL Rahul and there is every possibility that they will go for India's former T20I captain. Rohit is an aggressive opener - something LSG lacked in the powerplay overs in IPL 2024. As for Delhi Capitals, there are rumours of Rishabh Pant not staying with the franchise, and in that case, Rohit would serve as a great captaincy option and he can open the innings as well which fits the bill for the franchise given Prithvi Shaw's poor returns. There is an outside chance of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) targeting Rohit as well. It will be interesting if it happens as Faf du Plessis is already 40 and is unlikely to play for the next cycle of three years.
The most important thing Rohit Sharma brings with him is 'EXPERIENCE' and let us have a look at how he gained it over the years...
Rohit Sharma evolved as a player and captain in the IPL
Rohit Sharma's name first came up as the next big thing in Indian cricket during the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007 when he finished quite a few matches including a crucial cameo of unbeaten 30 off 16 deliveries against Pakistan in the final. He was picked up by the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in the inaugural edition of IPL. The Hitman showcased his power-hitting prowess in the first edition and accumulated 414 runs in 12 innings at a scintillating strike rate of 147.98.
Following this immense success, Rohit made it to the senior team in the ODI format as well and was part of the squad that created history by winning the tri-series in Australia in 2008 with Sri Lanka being the third team. The young lad from Mumbai showed glimpses of his talent with a 66-run knock while stitching a match-winning partnership of 123 runs with Sachin Tendulkar in the first final against Australia. Meanwhile, he continued to grow in the IPL with consistent scores in the next couple of seasons. Rohit got a big break in 2011 when Mumbai Indians picked him for USD 2 million (Rs 9.04 crore then) winning a bidding war against Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).
A couple of more than decent IPL seasons (IPL 2011 and 2012) with 372 and 433 runs meant Rohit was one of the vital cogs in the MI line-up by 2013 and midway through the season, Ricky Ponting stepped down as the captain and the mantle was handed over to Rohit Sharma. And, as they say, REST IS HISTORY.
Rohit showcased immense captaincy skills and at the same time, scored truckloads of runs to take Mumbai Indians to glory winning the IPL a staggering five times in eight years. MI became the most successful team by winning the IPL in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. By this time, Rohit had established himself as a big player across all formats for India and was the next in line as captaincy candidate behind Virat Kohli. He had already led India in quite a few series and tournaments by then (Asia Cup, Nidahas Trophy among others) with Kohli opting to rest citing workload management.
What went wrong in the last four years then?
Rohit Sharma's stature as an India player, especially in white-ball cricket, was never in question. But things started going wrong for him in the IPL after the 2021 season. In the next three years, with Rohit at the helm, Mumbai Indians could make it to the playoffs only once, in 2023, while they finished at the bottom of the table in 2022 with only four wins in 14 matches. Rohit's numbers in the IPL dwindled as well as he scored 381 runs at 29.30, 268 runs at 19.14 and 332 runs at 20.75 in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons respectively.
With no trophy in three years and his stocks going down, the 37-year-old was controversially replaced as the captain by Mumbai Indians and Hardik Pandya took over the leadership duties. Reportedly, the decision didn't go down well with Rohit and all was not well in the dressing room too with the squad seemingly divided into two groups. Multiple reports surfaced during IPL 2024 regarding players (and obviously Rohit) not being happy with Pandya even as the latter was booed and trolled by the crowd many times throughout the season.
Mumbai Indians made headlines for all the wrong reasons and the result - a last-place finish with only four wins in 14 outings. However, Rohit Sharma's returns were better compared to the earlier three seasons as he scored 417 runs at a strike rate of 150.
Has Rohit Sharma done enough to get retained ahead of the mega auction?
Mumbai Indians are in a spot of bother now ahead of the mega auction. Even though the retention rules are yet to be out officially, Rohit is unlikely to be their first retention given his age and form in the T20 extravaganza. More so, the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and skipper Hardik Pandya offer much more than Rohit and more or less, seem to be certain retentions. Now considering that five retentions are allowed ahead of the mega auction, the former MI skipper might only be the fourth or fifth player to get retained if the franchise is willing to do so.
There are reports of the Right to Match (RTM) card option returning for this mega auction. In that case, the five-time IPL winners might opt to do it in Rohit's case depending on his final price at the mega auction. All these possibilities are being explored considering MI will retain or get back Rohit through RTM in the auction. But one thing is clear, Rohit won't be the first, second or even third-choice player among retentions and might have to settle with fourth or fifth in the pecking order and accept the amount decided accordingly which will be lower than the INR 16 crore that he has been getting for last three years.
If released, will teams be interested in Rohit Sharma at the auction?
If MI release the 37-year-old, then will he have any takers at the auction? Let us analyse this aspect:
Coming to the other side of the coin, Rohit brings massive brand value, fan base and experience with him. The man has won five IPL titles and recently led India to the T20 World Cup trophy after 17 years. Although he is 37, there is still enough cricket left in him (looking at his recent form) and is one of the cult players in Indian cricket like MS Dhoni who can even continue to play (IPL) even in his 40s if he wishes to. All these factors make him a huge pick for the auction and for a massive price.
Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra believes most franchises will go after Rohit for the same reason. However, he opted not to speculate his final amount with retention rules not officially out yet. "All the franchises will go after Rohit Sharma for sure. He has at least one cycle (3 years) of IPL left in him. He is a hero, he brings brand value. Money means absolutely nothing in IPL. It is all about supply and demand. At this moment, we can't say how much he will get as retention rules are not out yet. I won't speculate anything about how much he will get. But Rohit will definitely bring everything with him to whichever team he will go," Chopra said in an exclusive chat with India TV.
Right then, will Rohit Sharma break Mitchell Starc's record of Rs 24.75 crore to become the most expensive player in the history of the IPL auction? Will he go for less than Rs 10 crore due to his age? Well, with IPL retention rules set to be announced soon, let us get ready for the mega auction. IPL 2025 is certainly going to be special right from the mega auction to the action on the field.