Leg and off: Should Rohit Sharma move on from MI after IPL 2024?

Rohit Sharma finished his IPL 2024 season for Mumbai Indians (MI) in style with a blistering 38-ball 68 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Wankhede Stadium on May 17. However, the knock went to no avail as MI suffered a 10th defeat in 14 outings by 18 runs to finish at the bottom of the table.

Despite MI's dismal season, all the focus before and after the LSG clash was around it possibly being Rohit's swansong for MI. With the Mega Auction coming up later this year, his future in the IPL remains uncertain, with speculations varying from staying with MI throughout his career to fan-made photos of him in every other team jersey.

MI head coach Mark Boucher confirmed that Rohit's future lay in his own hands and that the former captain remains focused only on the upcoming T20 World Cup.

"To be honest, there hasn't been many conversations about Rohit's future. I spoke to him last night or the night before, just to do basically a little review of the season. And I said, 'What's next for Rohit Sharma?' and he said to me 'World Cup'. And that's perfect. That's all I need to know about what Rohit Sharma's future is. For me, he is the master of his own destiny. It's a big auction next season, who knows what's going to happen? We'll just have to take each day as it comes," said Boucher at the post-game press conference.

Hence, Rohit's decision could be at the forefront of MI retaining or releasing the veteran cricketer. Whether he stays with the franchise or moves on elsewhere for the rest of his illustrious IPL career hinges on several factors.

On that note, let us deep dive into a few key deciding parameters on Rohit Sharma staying or moving on from MI after IPL 2024.

# 1 Low team dynamic at MI coupled with opportunity to captain elsewhere

The question of Rohit Sharma moving from MI to another franchise would have been absurd before the IPL 2024 season. So why has it become 'The Topic of Discussion' for most of the season?

It has nothing to do with his or the team's performances, for they finished at the bottom even in 2022 and Rohit had arguably his best campaign with bat in the last several years. During the off-season, MI moved on from Rohit as captain to Hardik Pandya at the helm after trading for the latter with the Gujarat Titans (GT).

And the vitriol that stemmed out of that from fans and experts kept growing as the losses kept mounting. Despite boasting the strongest side on paper, MI lacked cohesion, spirit, and clarity on the field, all qualities usually derived from team dynamics.

Rohit continues to lead Team India in all formats, yet, was deprived of the same for MI despite his unmatched accomplishments with 5 title runs. Several IPL teams could use a legendary Indian captain who still has the game to be a match-winner at the top.

Hence, the 37-year-old might be better served to look in a different direction at the back end of his career, where he receives better treatment and is made captain.

# 2 Change of scenery could help Rohit rediscover his best in the IPL

While there is no questioning Rohit Sharma's pedigree or accomplishments with the willow, his form in recent IPLs has left a lot to be desired. The 37-year-old has not averaged even 30 in a single IPL season since 2016.

The 417-run campaign this year was only his second 400+ season in the last 8 editions. A part of it can be attributed to captaining a high-profile franchise like MI, which eventually takes a toll on any player.

However, here is a cricketer who has led Team India in all 3 formats admirably over the last few years, while also piling on the runs. Hence, the time might be right for Rohit to move on to a different franchise to see if he could rediscover his sublime batting form.

After all, several cricketers like Shivam Dube, Nicholas Pooran, and Heinrich Klaasen, among others, saw their fortunes with bat skyrocket with a change in scenery from one franchise to another. And while Rohit Sharma is far more accomplished overall, father time and mortality spare no one.

Thus, moving away from MI could be the tonic needed to watch the champion batter back at his best from the next IPL season.

# 3 Aesthetics: Rohit Sharma donning another Jersey?

Beyond all the numbers, IPL predominantly still rides on fan connection with a franchise and its iconic player. And very few have achieved it to the level of Rohit Sharma and MI.

The proof in the pudding was the MI fans this season booing Hardik Pandya and wildly cheering Rohit in the stadiums around the country after the former took over the captaincy reigns. Rohit has been with MI since 2011 and led the side from 2013 to 2023 with tremendous success.

While cricketing sense may point to him moving to another franchise, the human emotion and his connection with the franchise cannot be denied. It is almost unimaginable to think of Rohit in another jersey after all that he has done to help turn around the franchise from perineal underachievers from 2008 to 2012 to a dynasty since.

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To conclude, most of the cricketing reasons point to Rohit Sharma waving goodbye to the Mumbai Indians after 14 years. However, what he has built and what the fans and the franchise have given him - Fame, Reputation, and Aura, might make it impossible for the veteran cricketer to consider moving to another franchise.

If the last off-season was full of drama and unpredictability, Rohit Sharma and MI might have something even bigger in store during the upcoming off-season.