[Watch] Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya & Co sign new MI contracts ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction

The Mumbai Indians (MI) retained five core players ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 auction. Captaincy change during last season caused a lot of chaos around the MI set-up and their fan base. However, the management seems to have successfully negotiated with the turbulent situation and managed to retain their most important players.

Ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah deservingly received the first retention at 18 crores, while Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav followed at 16.35 crores each. Former captain Rohit Sharma and youngster Tilak Varma rounded off the list with 16.30 and 8 crores. The MI management has also announced that Hardik Pandya will continue as captain despite the team's wooden-spoon finish last season.

The Mumbai Indians shared a video on their official Instagram handle to give their fans a glimpse of the contract signing process of retained players. Rohit, Hardik, Bumrah, Suryakumar, and Tilak could be seen inking their deals in it and posing with each other for a couple of photos.

You can watch the video below:

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"I'm thrilled to be part of Mumbai Indians yet again" - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma expressed happiness for the opportunity to continue with his beloved MI franchise after being retained. In a video uploaded by Mumbai Indians on X, Rohit shed light on the reasons for taking a pay cut and opting for the fourth retention spot by saying:

"You know, since I have retired from this format, I think this is the perfect (retention) spot for me. You know, the players, who are representing the national team at the highest level, should get the preference. That's what I believe in, and I'm quite happy with it. I'm thrilled to be part of Mumbai Indians yet again. I played so much cricket here. "

Sharma elaborated:

"This is the place where I have started my cricket career. So this city is very, very special, and I'm happy to be here. And obviously when you play for such a long period, you create so much memories with the team. We haven't had the best season in the last 2 or 3 years, but we are quite determined to change that. So yes! We will be looking forward to each other's help, and hopefully, we can turn things around."

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Do you think Mumbai Indians made the right choices ahead of the mega auction? Let us know your views in the comments section.