The official retention list of all the franchises ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction has already been released and Mumbai Indians have retained their former captain, Rohit Sharma, as the fourth retention for Rs 16.30 crores.
The former Indian T20I captain said that he is happy as the fourth retention in the side as he has already announced his retirement from the Indian T20I team and wants the national players to get the preference.
“Since I’ve retired from the format, this is the perfect spot for me. The players who are in the national team should get the preference. That is what I believe in and I’m quite happy with that,” Rohit said.
Last year, MI bought back the all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, from Gujarat Titans and also announced him as the captain replacing their five times IPL winning captain. This created widespread ruckus as the MI and the Hitman fans were not happy with the decision. They felt that their legend has been humiliated.
Reports also said that there is a rift between the management of the franchise and the former Indian T20I captain. Hence, it was said that Rohit will be released from the team head of the mega auction. There were rumours floating in the media which linked him to various franchises.
Rohit Sharma is thrilled to be retained by Mumbai Indians
However, Rohit is happy to be retained in the side and expressed his desire to keep playing for Mumbai where he started his cricket career.
He also talked about the memories that he has created while playing for MI and wants to turn it around for the franchise after some disappointing team performances in the last few season.
“I’m thrilled to be part of Mumbai Indians yet again. I have played so much cricket here. This is the place where I started my cricket career. So, this is a very, very special city and I’m happy to be here. And obviously, 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. We are determined to change that. We will be looking to each other’s help and hopefully we can turn it around.” Rohit Sharma said in an interview with Jio Cinema.