Rumours have been swirling across social media platforms, especially on X, suggesting that Rohit Sharma might not play for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the upcoming IPL season. With these speculations spreading rapidly, MI has become a hot topic of controversy even before the IPL auction list has been released. Finally, ending all the speculation, Mumbai Indians confirmed their core lineup yesterday by retaining five key players: Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Tilak Varma. Following their retention by Mumbai Indians, both Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma expressed their delight at continuing with the franchise.

In last year’s IPL season, Hardik Pandya faced significant trolling for multiple reasons. His appointment as captain instead of Rohit Sharma sparked criticism and backlash from fans. The trolling extended beyond his professional life, as memes and negative comments began to affect his personal life as well. Hardik remains captain and is looking forward to a fresh start to this year. He said, “This past year has been quite a rollercoaster for me, but this season is set to be fantastic. I have received immense love, and I am overwhelmed by it. My journey began here, and everything I have achieved in life has been as a part of Mumbai Indians.”

Alongside Hardik, Rohit Sharma also faced criticism, particularly after India fell short in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, held on home soil. However, Rohit redeemed himself by leading India to victory in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, effectively silencing his critics and ending the wave of trolls surrounding him. Surprisingly, Rohit expressed, “I have played a lot of cricket in Mumbai; it’s where my career began, and I’m happy to continue playing here as I enter the twilight years of my career. This city holds immense significance for me.”

Mumbai has missed the playoffs for the last three years. Reflecting on this, Rohit admitted the team’s recent struggles but promised a strong comeback. “The last couple of seasons weren’t our best, but we’re fully committed to turning things around,” he said.

In addition to Hardik and Rohit, Mumbai Indians have retained Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma. Bumrah commands an impressive retention price of INR 18 crore, while both Suryakumar and Hardik are valued at INR 16.35 crore each. Rohit has been retained for INR 16.30 crore, and Tilak for INR 8 crore. Notably, big names like Ishan Kishan and Piyush Chawla are absent from the retention list, leaving Mumbai with a Right to Match card for the mega auction. The franchise enters the auction with a remaining budget of INR 55 crore.