Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma has added another feather to his cap, in addition to him being the only IPL captain to win the title 5 times. The MI skipper has now become the longest-serving captain for Mumbai Indians. Rohit stands second to MS Dhoni in terms of tenure as an IPL franchise captain. Mumbai Indians bought Rohit Sharma for INR 9.2 crores during the IPL 2011 mega auctions. Before MI, Rohit was an integral part of the now-defunct franchise Deccan Chargers Hyderabad.
In addition to becoming the longest-serving captain for Mumbai Indians, Rohit also completed 12 years with the franchise. He is also currently the highest run-scorer for the franchise. He has represented MI in 182 matches and has scored 4709 runs with 1 century and 32 half-centuries. INR 9.2 crores for a player like Rohit Sharma, who brought them 5 IPL titles, 2 Champions League titles and has served MI for 12 years was a multi-bagger deal for the owners.
Rohit Sharma took over the mantle of Mumbai Indians in 2013 from Ricky Ponting. Ponting said in an interview that he was not performing well for MI in 2013 and he had to make way for another international player. He had to relinquish his captaincy as well. Ponting recalls the moment when the team owners and coaches were discussing the names of players who could have taken over the captaincy of MI then. Eventually, the team management zeroed in on Rohit Sharma, Ponting added.
Rohit said, “I can’t believe it’s been 12 years at Mumbai Indians. It has been an extremely exciting and emotional journey for me. We’ve achieved so much together with stalwarts, youngsters and our Paltan. Mumbai Indians is my family, and I want to thank my fellow players, fans and management for all the love. Looking forward to creating many more memories and spreading more smiles for our Paltan”.