MUMBAI: Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif said that in case Mumbai Indians (MI) star and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma joins the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) should take a chance and make him the captain for his team-building capacities.
Kaif’s statement comes as IPL announced the rules and regulations related to retentions and auction format ahead of next season in 2025.
Also, rumours in the media are swirling around Rohit’s future with MI, with whom he won five IPL titles as a captain. Last year, the five-time champions brought back all-rounder Hardik Pandya to the franchise as a captain following his two-year-stint with Gujarat Titans (GT), which proved to be a controversial decision.
The decision did not meet the approval of the majority of the franchise’s fans, who booed Hardik out of the stadium across India throughout the 2024 season. MI finished the last season at the bottom of the table with just four wins in 14 games, and even Hardik underperformed throughout the tournament.
On the other hand, despite the presence of stars like Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, Zaheer Khan, etc. over the years, RCB have never won an IPL trophy, with their best performances being runners-up finishes in 2009, 2011 and 2016.
“RCB should take this chance. Somehow convince Rohit and make him the captain. He might not score that much as a batter, he scores forties and fifties, but I believe Rohit knows how to build a playing eleven very well,” Kaif said while speaking on Star Sports.
He also said that Rohit should play the IPL as a captain only, since he has a fine track-record as a leader, which includes this year’s ICC T20 World Cup that ended the Indian team’s 11-year major ICC trophy drought.
“Rohit Sharma should play as a captain only in the IPL because he is such a great captain. He has come after winning the T20 World Cup. He would have offers. We know people would have been calling him and asking him to play for them. I feel he should take the role of a captain only, whichever franchise is offering it,” he said.
Rohit is the third-highest run-getter in the tournament history, with 6,628 runs at an average of 29.72, with a strike rate of 131.14. He has scored two centuries and 43 fifties, with the best score of 109*.
