There has been strong speculation that Rohit Sharma is likely to leave Mumbai Indians (MI) from the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Right from Lucknow Super Giants, Punjab Kings to even Delhi Capitals, there has been constant speculation that the former MI captain would join any of these teams.
Now, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra on his YouTube Channel addressed a fan's question and stated that Rohit's tenure with the Mumbai Indians might come to an end . He added that the franchise could either release Rohit before the auction or potentially trade him to another team.
He said, “Will he stay or will he go? It's a big question. Personally, I feel he will not stay. Whoever is retained will be with the thinking that he will remain with you for three years, unless your name is MS Dhoni. MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings' story is very different but Rohit Sharma at MI, I feel he might himself leave or MI might leave him.”
He further added, “Anything can happen but I don't think Rohit is going to be retained here. I don't have any information but I feel Rohit will probably be released. He might go to someone in the trade window, that's a possibility that he doesn't go to the auction, but if that doesn't happen, he might be seen in the auction. I feel his journey with the Mumbai Indians is over”
Tensions arose between Rohit Sharma and the Mumbai Indians when Hardik Pandya, who was acquired from the Gujarat Titans, was appointed as the team captain, replacing Rohit Sharma prior to the IPL 2024 auction.
After leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup 2024, Sharma had announced his retirement from T20I cricket. Following this, Virat Kohli also revealed his decision to retire from the format. So, for batting icons like Rohit and Virat, IPL will apparently become more important as it is their only chance to play T20 cricket.