IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians (MI) finally put points on the board after they beat defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium on March 31 (Monday). The 8-wicket victory saw MI rise up from the bottom of the Indian Premier League (IPL) table and relegate KKR to 10th position.
Monday’s victory was much needed for MI and has allowed the team to turn a new leaf after consecutive defeats in its opening two matches. However, Rohit Sharma’s troubles continued as the “Hitman” was dismissed for 13 (12).
There was scrutiny around Rohit Sharma’s spot in the MI line-up for some time now, with below par performances in the IPL over the last two years. Coming into this season, the former team captain was in desperate need of runs but made a faltering start to the tournament with scores of 0 and 8 in the first two matches. And with yet another failure with the bat against KKR, the call for his axe has gotten louder.
‘If your name’s not Rohit Sharma…’
Adding his opinion to the mix, former team England captain Michael Vaughan said Rohit Sharma remains in the team purely on reputation. “You look at his numbers, you’ve got to remember, we’re judging Rohit just as a batter now, because he’s not the captain. Now, I think you can get away with average numbers, and they’re average numbers. If your name’s not Rohit Sharma, you’re probably losing your place in the side at some stage with those numbers. They’re not good enough for a player like Rohit Sharma,” Michael Vaughan said during a post-match analysis show on Cricbuzz.
This sentiment was echoed on social media too with many users taking to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their frustration at their favourite batsman. One user commented: “Enough of playing based on reputation even after retirement. Rohit should retire from IPL and give chances to youngsters. Totally irrelevant in 2025.”
Time to Drop Rohit Sharma? Michael Vaugh Says…
However, while critical of Rohit Sharma, Michael Vaughan added that despite the concerning numbers, he wouldn’t drop the experienced batsman. “I’m not saying that they’ll get rid of him. I’m not going to drop him. Come on, get us off to a start. Get your flow back, get your rhythm back, get your mojo back. Because for Mumbai to go and put right what they’ve not done right in the first two games, it does require that senior core to produce,” said Vaughan.
With Monday’s win against KKR, MI has moved up the table to 6th position. Their next game is away at Lucknow Super Giants, on Friday.
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