The Mumbai Indians' (MI) five-time IPL champion skipper, Rohit Sharma, has spoken out after being signed by the team for INR 16.30 crore, making him the fourth-highest-paid squad member for IPL 2025. In terms of retention value, Rohit, a key player in the Mumbai Indians' success story, is behind Suryakumar Yadav (16.35 crore), Jasprit Bumrah (18 crore), and Hardik Pandya (16.35 crore). He is happy with the team's choice to give priority to players who are still playing T20I cricket, though.
Rohit on being the fourth retention for MI
"Since I have retired from the [T20] format, I think this is the perfect [retention] spot for me,” Sharma explained. “The players who are representing the national team at the highest level should get the preference. That’s what I believe in, and I am quite happy with it," said Rohit Sharma in an interview with JioCinema while talking about his position on the retention lineup
For Rohit Sharma, the forthcoming IPL season will be especially important because it will be his lone appearance in T20 cricket since he declared his retirement from international T20s following India's World Cup success. In what may be Rohit is last years with the team, this choice allows MI's younger Indian talent, like Tilak Varma, to thrive alongside him.
Rohit Sharma reflected on his long-standing affinity with Mumbai to highlight the city's sentimental worth. "I have played so much cricket in Mumbai; this is where I started my cricket career. This city is very, very special. When you play for such a long time, you create so many memories with the team. We haven’t had the best of seasons in the last two or three years, but we are quite determined to change that," he said.
With Hardik Pandya taking over as captain and Sharma maintaining his position of stability at the top of the batting order, Rohit is unselfish demeanor has set a nice tone for MI's new leadership. The Mumbai Indians, one of the IPL's most illustrious teams, will rely on Sharma's leadership and experience to lead the group to another championship attempt. MI has kept its Indian core, which consists of Bumrah, Pandya, Yadav, and Varma, with a fresh emphasis on developing emerging talent and creating a sustainable future.
