 "Rohit Sharma has remained part of the Mumbai Indians despite losing captaincy to Hardik Pandya, scoring 400-plus runs in each of the last two seasons. Reuters")
Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians ended speculation of Rohit Sharma joining Kolkata Knight Riders in the 19th season next year with a witty social media post that went viral on Thursday.
Batting icon Rohit has been linked to other franchises ever since MI removed him from captaincy in late 2023, naming Hardik Pandya as his replacement after bringing the all-rounder over from Gujarat Titans in a blockbuster trade.
‘Impossible,’ says MI on Rohit’s possible transfer to KKR
And rumours of Rohit joining the Knight Riders gained traction on social media after former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar was named head coach of the three-time IPL champions, with the ‘Hitman’ said to be good friends with the former India and Mumbai seam-bowling all-rounder.
Rohit, however, has played under Pandya’s leadership in each of the last two seasons, and MI have hinted that things will not be any different next year.
“Sun will rise tomorrow again ye toh confirm hai, but at (K)night… mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai,” MI’s social media team posted on X and on Instagram.
While MI had finished at the bottom of the 10-team table in Pandya’s debut season as captain last year, they produced a much better performance in the 18th season earlier this year.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMumbai went as far as Qualifier 2 before getting knocked out by Punjab Kings, the team led by former KKR captain Shreyas Iyer that ended up losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final.
Rohit, who had been removed as India ODI captain last month after retiring from Test cricket in May, has been among the runs in the last two seasons - scoring 417 and 418 runs in the 2024 and 2025 seasons respectively with an overall strike rate hovering around 150.