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Former captain Rohit Sharma was Mumbai Indian’s fourth retention after Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.
(From left) Tilak Varma, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. (Pic Credit: X/mipaltan)
Rohit Sharma is happy at having been retained by five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians ahead of the mega auctions next month. Along with Rohit, a former MI captain, the franchise has retained Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma.
MI finished last in the standings in IPL 2023 after managing to win just four of their 10 matches. However, the team has shown faith in their core group.
“I have played so much cricket for Mumbai Indians,” Rohit said in a video shared by the franchise on Thursday. “Mumbai is the place where I have started my cricket career. So, this city is very, very special. I am happy to be here. We haven’t had the best of the season in the last two or three years. But we are quite determined to change that. We will be looking forward to each other’s help. And hopefully, we can turn things around.”
Bumrah was MI’s first pick for Rs 18 crore and thus became the team’s costliest player in IPL history surpassing Cameron Green whom they bought for Rs 17.5 crore at the mini auction in 2023. Surya was their second and Pandya third with each being retained for Rs 16.35 crore.
Rohit was the fourth pick with Rs 16.30 crore while Tilak fifth at Rs 8 crore.
“Since I have retired from the format, I think this is the perfect spot for me. The players who are representing the national team at the highest level should get the preference,” Rohit, who called time on his T20I career after captaining India to world cup win earlier this year, said.
“It’s a very tough one when you come into a fresh auction, and you start retaining players. With Mumbai, we have always tried maintaining a core group of players. Moving forward, I just feel that we can have a good auction and create a group of players who can be match-winners for us. We will put the right foot forward and bring the legacy back where it belongs,” he added.
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