Leg and Off: What should MI do with Rohit Sharma after his hat-trick of failures in IPL 2025?

Rohit Sharma's 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) has begun on a depressing note. He is yet to cross the 20-run mark, and is on the verge of becoming a walking wicket. His tame dismissal during the Mumbai Indians' (MI) win over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was just an extension of his poor outings in the first couple of matches.

The Hitman has looked scratchy, completely devoid of his trademark clarity. He has not found a way to get past the new ball charge by the opposition, leading to MI being put under pressure quite early on.

The new-age approach, where impact is valued more than volume, is tailor-made for Rohit Sharma, but as of now, he is unable to contribute in any way possible.

On that note, let us take a look at all potential ways that MI can handle the Rohit Sharma situation, from the likely straightforward solution to the extremely improbable ones.

#1 Rohit Sharma's high-risk style of batting is volatile, and can emerge as quickly as it fades

The dip in Rohit Sharma's scores is not something out of the ordinary. Employing such a high-risk game, rife with intent, is bound to produce a slight blip at times. Despite the batters having the strongest possible hold on bowlers, their high-risk game does make them vulnerable at times.

Rohit Sharma is not the only opener struggling for runs while trying to embrace an all-out aggressive approach. Players like Abhishek Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who until recently could do no wrong, have also not been among the runs in the early stages of the 2025 IPL. It is not necessarily because they are out of touch or completely out of form, but just the fact that they have lost the battle against the bowler on that particular occasion.

Rohit Sharma was not among the runs during the lead-up to the 2025 Champions Trophy either, but had a definitive say in India's title-winning campaign, including a player of the match in the final. That is the thing with such an approach, it has been driven to such an extreme, where it is literally a gamble.

MI, anyway, have to tread lightly when it comes to any decision regarding Rohit Sharma, with a backlash imminent if they do something rash. As a result, for the time being, MI can proceed as things are going at the moment, and hope that runs are just around the corner, and the form returns with a few good strokes. If the concerning string of poor scores continues, then the management can look for alternate avenues.

#2 Back to the middle order?

Rohit Sharma has played only 105 innings as an opener out of his 255 appearances in the IPL to date. The rest have come scattered across the different positions in the middle-order. Much like his international career, he did not start his IPL career as an outright opener. He had to work his way up from the middle-order.

Even after being an established opener for Team India, Rohit Sharma spent considerable time in the middle order for MI due to the team combination. His on-and-off stint as an opener ended with the 2019 season, when he became the outright opener.

In all three matches so far, he has struggled with the new ball charge by the opposition pacers. He has not looked convincing while trying to charge them or fend them off. Furthermore, MI's batting unit is lacking stability after the reliable pair of Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma. Hardik Pandya averages only 6 in his last five innings for MI, while both Robin Minz and Naman Dhir have been unconvincing.

Team India had to employ a similar tactic in the red-ball setup during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series. Rohit Sharma settled for a place in the middle order amid his poor form, and KL Rahul's promising stint at the top in the skipper's absence.

There is a very slim chance that MI will employ such a radical route purely due to the several cons that come with it. Rohit Sharma's unconvincing strike rate of 113.76 against spin is just one of them. Despite his poor touch, the fact remains that The Hitman is the best possible weapon that MI have if they wish to truly maximise the powerplay.

#3 MI have the opportunity to build a new-look batting setup without Rohit Sharma

The decision to retain Rohit Sharma for INR 16.30 crore was a huge call, but it was a message indicating the franchise's trust in the veteran to be able to contribute, and keeping the core intact. But, it is still unclear as to whether Rohit Sharma can be MI's long-term first-choice opener or not, especially with the way the game has changed.

Rohit Sharma will avail the longest of long ropes at MI, but it will not be endless. It might be time for the franchise to realistically think about life after Hitman, and it should not be during the off-season. There could be a chance that MI have to pull the switch midway through the campaign, and they should have a reliable backup plan in place.

Will Jacks is capable of playing as an opener to partner Ryan Rickelton, paving the way for Tilak Verma to come in at his preferred No.3 spot. Through this Naman Dhir can bat a bit higher too, where he has a better chance of doing well rather than in the lower middle-order.

#4 Rohit Sharma might find his spark back with a small break

The relentless IPL schedule, encompassed with constant travel, does not allow a player to be at ease for a while. With a match scheduled nearly every three days, it is not the best possible environment for a player to regain his lost touch.

A huge reason Rohit Sharma was able to find decent touch in Team India's recent white-ball leg was the fact that he had a month-long break after the tough Border-Gavaskar series in Australia. Though there was a little break after the Champions Trophy campaign too, it has not aided his cause.

While the luxury of a prolonged break is simply not feasible in the IPL, sitting out a couple of matches if the player and management believe the problem demands it, is certainly a far more realistic prospect. However, in all likelihood, the situation is not that dire that Rohit may need to drop himself, or for the management to take such a call for the time being.

Since it is only the early stages of the campaign, and the fact that Rohit could single-handedly turn MI's fortunes around if he finds rhythm, gives MI the confidence to not act upon the issue right now.