“After a stage, money doesn’t matter”: Ashwin on Rohit’s future in Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction

Ravichandran Ashwin opens up about the speculations around Rohit Sharma leaving the Mumbai Indians camp for the upcoming season. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that opener Rohit Sharma will not leave the Mumbai Indians franchise and will continue playing for the franchise in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.

Last year, Hardik replaced Rohit as the skipper of one of the most successful franchises in the tournament’s history. The decision from the franchise didn’t go down well with some sections of the fanbase which led to some criticism.

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“Even if you think like Rohit, it’s not wrong at all. I don’t want any headache. I have been a captain for India. I have captained Mumbai many times. Even if I am not a captain, I am going to Mumbai happily. If I play for Mumbai, it’s super. I am sure most players are like that. After a stage, money doesn’t matter for some of those players. That’s the thing,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

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Rohit had a decent IPL 2024 season with the bat, scoring 417 runs at an average of 32.07 and a strike rate of 150. He scored a century and fifty, with the best score of 105*. Rohit has been an absolute legend for the Mumbai Indians. Since joining the franchise as a bright up-and-coming talent back in 2011, Rohit has played 199 IPL matches in Blue and Gold clothing, scoring 5,084 runs at an average of 29.39 and a strike rate of 129.86.

He has scored a century and 34 fifties in 195 innings for MI, with the best score of 109*. After taking over the captaincy of the franchise from Ricky Ponting in 2013, Rohit took MI to their golden period, winning the trophy five times in 10 years (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020) and reaching playoffs twice.

Hardik Pandya replaced him as the captain last year after making a switch to the franchise that made him a star following two great years with the Gujarat Titans (GT), including the title-winning debut season in 2022.

Rohit has also won two Champions League T20 titles with MI in 2011 and 2013, the latter as a captain. The ‘Hitman’ is MI’s all-time highest run-getter. As a youngster, Rohit also represented the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, a former Hyderabad franchise from 2008-2010.

He played 45 matches for the team, scoring 1,170 runs at an average of 30.79 and a strike rate of over 131, with eight fifties in 44 innings. His best score was 76*. He won the IPL 2009 season with this franchise, making him a six-time IPL champion.

The veteran batter is the fourth-highest run-getter in IPL history, scoring 6,254 runs in 244 matches at an average of 29.63 and a strike rate of 130.15. He scored a century and 42 fifties in 239 innings, with the best score of 109*.