Rohit Sharma and his future in Mumbai Indians was one of the major talking points during the previous edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The five-time champions had controversially removed him from captaincy with Hardik Pandya taking over the leadership duties. Reportedly, Rohit was not happy with the decision and all was not well in the MI camp throughout the season.
Teams are set to rejig ahead of the next IPL edition with the mega auction taking place soon. The retention rules are not out officially yet but looking at his IPL form, Rohit Sharma is unlikely to be among the first few retentions in the MI camp with players like Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik in their squad. What if MI decides to release their former captain? Will any team bid for Rohit at the mega auction?
Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan believes there will be a bidding war for the former MI captain at the auction if he is released and most of the teams would want to secure his services. He highlighted the fact that Rohit has massive experience in terms of captaincy and has also won the IPL a staggering five times. "Jung hogi Jung (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.
When asked if Rohit Sharma's final price will be affected due to his recent form in the IPL, Irfan Pathan clearly denied the possibility but he reckoned that more than his form, Rohit's fitness will be the major question for the franchises. "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," Irfan added further.
