"I think he will definitely be retained" - Harbhajan Singh predicts Mumbai Indians' IPL 2025 retention strategy

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reckons that Mumbai Indians (MI) will definitely retain all-rounder Hardik Pandya ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction although he had a forgettable 2024 edition as player and leader. Harbhajan was initially unsure whether the five-time champions would retain their stalwart and former captain Rohit Sharma but eventually concluded that they would.

Mumbai Indians replaced Rohit as captain with Pandya for the IPL 2024 season. The move, however, proved disastrous, as the franchise finished last in the points table, winning only four of their 14 league matches.

Despite results not going their way under Pandya's leadership, Harbhajan is certain that he will be retained by the Mumbai Indians franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. Speaking to Star Sports, he commented (as quoted by NDTV):

“Mumbai Indians is a team that hasn't played well in the last two to three years. They've been a champion team, a very good team, and as far as I know, they will definitely think of building a team for the future. But that doesn't mean they won't add experienced players this year. Last year, they made Hardik Pandya captain, and I think he will definitely be retained.

"Jasprit Bumrah will be retained, Suryakumar Yadav will be retained, and the question remains whether Rohit Sharma will be retained. He has just won the World Cup as a captain, so I think he should be retained, and he will be. That will make four players," he added.

Rohit scored 417 runs in 14 matches for the Mumbai franchise in IPL 2024, averaging 32.08 at a strike rate of 150, with one hundred and one half-century.

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"Nehal Wadhera could be a good option" - Harbhajan on Mumbai Indians' uncapped retention for IPL 2025

Harbhajan picked young left-handed batter Tilak Varma as the fifth retention option for the Mumbai franchise. As for the uncapped category, he opined that Nehal Wadhera could be a good choice.

"...If there's a fifth player, then Tilak Varma will be retained. Tilak Varma is one of those players who will be very useful for Mumbai Indians in the future to win matches. When it comes to bowling, I don't think there's anyone else they would want to retain, so Nehal Wadhera could be a good option for them. He is an uncapped player, so he should be picked," Harbhajan said.

While Varma has been a consistent performer for MI over the last few seasons, Wadhera has contributed 350 runs in 20 matches at a strike rate of 140. Speaking of retentions, all 10 IPL franchises have to submit their final list by October 31. The teams can retain a maximum of five capped players and two uncapped players.