New Delhi: As the IPL 2025 mega auction approaches, former India cricketer Pragyan Ojha has expressed strong views on the future of Mumbai Indians (MI) star player Rohit Sharma. Ojha has pushed the opening batsman to stay with the organisation, citing his huge effect and the fan and sponsor devotion he has cultivated over the years.
Rohit Sharma’s future with the MI has been a major topic of discussion since he was deprived of captaincy before the previous season and replaced by Hardik Pandya. Since then, rumours have circulated regarding a potential rupture between Sharma and MI management, fuelling suspicion that he is looking to join a new squad.
Ojha, who has constantly followed Sharma’s career, believes the cricketer’s partnership with the Mumbai Indians has been mutually beneficial.
“I think franchise cricket is totally different from state and international cricket, as the rules are completely different. But personally, if you ask me, I have seen Rohit Sharma grow to this kind of stature that he has. So I think if he continues with Mumbai Indians, it will be great because Rohit Sharma has a lot of fans and sponsors, as they relate to him. But it is up to the franchise and the player, plus the rules,” Pragyan Ojha told IANS.
Rohit Sharma’s performance in the IPL 2024 season further emphasises his significance to the team. Despite a challenging second half of the season where he struggled to score more than 20 runs in seven innings, Sharma ended the tournament with a brilliant half-century. His contribution of 417 runs, including a century and two fifties, made him the team’s leading scorer.
Ojha, who has a personal connection with Sharma’s journey—from his early days with the Deccan Chargers to his prominent role with Mumbai Indians—expressed his desire to see Rohit stay with the franchise.
“So we will have to wait and see. But personally, I always relate to Rohit Sharma, as he played for Deccan Chargers first and then for Mumbai Indians. I will always relate to him playing for Mumbai, as he is a Mumbai boy,” he added.
Ojha, regarded as one of the most gifted left-arm spinners in the country, initially rose to prominence when he finished among the top ten bowlers in the league stage of the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy season (just his second season), taking 29 wickets at an average of 19.89 in six games for Hyderabad.
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(Photo: IANS)
