"Why shall I need to do it?" - When Rohit Sharma responded to doubts over whether he could replicate MI success with other IPL franchises

Rohit Sharma became the first captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to lift five titles when the Mumbai Indians (MI) won the 2020 edition. Under Rohit, Mumbai had won the IPL previously in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. Only MS Dhoni has won the Indian T20 league as many times as captain. He guided Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to victory in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023.

Dhoni has been credited for lifting CSK to IPL triumphs even when some star players have been missing from the squad. On the other hand, Rohit has won his five titles with power-packed players being part of the team. This is one reason why some critics have, at times, wondered whether Rohit could have replicated his MI success had he been leading some other IPL franchise.

Speaking to news agency PTI in November 2020, though, Rohit downplayed the hypothetical query. Opening up on his bond with the Mumbai franchise, he said:

“Yeah, we have a (Kieron) Pollard, a Hardik (Pandya), (Jasprit) Bumrah but has anybody thought why this team is successful? Lot of people, I hear say that can he (Rohit) do it with other teams? Firstly, why shall I need to do it with other teams? There is a certain way this franchise wants to go and same direction I want to go as well, both as a player and leader."

“Did this team become good overnight? No. It’s just that this franchise doesn’t believe in chopping and changing. And every player, including Rohit Sharma, was available (2011) at auctions. Just that MI picked and believed in building a team,” the seasoned batter added.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit as Mumbai Indians captain ahead of the IPL 2024 season. The former is set to continue as leader for the 2025 season too.

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"If Rohit was given RCB team, will he have won two, three or four out of five titles MI have won?" - Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Akash Chopra was among those who had questioned whether Rohit would have been as successful as captain in the IPL had he been part of some other franchise. In a video shared on his FB page in 2020, he said:

"I have a question - if Rohit was given RCB team, which is there with Kohli, will he have won two, three or four out of five titles MI have won? Rohit as a captain is outstanding, I love him to bits but can the Mumbai Indians' success story be equated with India, that is my question. Just because Kohli's team does not do well, does it mean that is Kohli's fault."

Meanwhile, Rohit will remain part of the Mumbai Indians for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. He was retained by the franchise for ₹16.30 crore ahead of the auction.