Rohit Sharma was retained by Mumbai Indians [Source: @Johns/x]
Rohit Sharma became one of the five retentions made by the Mumbai Indians franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. On October 31, the MI management confirmed that Sharma will be reprising his role for the team alongside fellow franchise zealots Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and rising star Tilak Varma.
Apparently, the Indian captain occupied the fourth retention spot, and is set to earn a sum of Rs.16.30 crores for the IPL 2025 season. While the aforementioned sum sounds prolific in hindsight for a two-month gig, it is lesser than the pay scales of Bumrah, Suryakumar and team captain Hardik.
As it turned out, several reports are indicating that Rohit Sharma ‘sacrificed’ to support his teammates by accepting a lower retention fee. Amidst reports of his self-demotion, here we study if whether the five-time IPL winning skipper has been really underpaid by the franchise.
Sharma to earn more for IPL 2025 than he did in 2024
Rohit Sharma is set to earn a staggering amount of Rs.16.30 crores for reprising his Mumbai Indians role in the IPL 2025 season, albeit without the additional burden of captaincy. Several reports indicated that the legendary opening batter voluntarily asked the franchise to make him the fourth retention choice, in a bid to promote the young guns of the team.
Sharma’s selfless decision earned him appreciation from all corners of the Indian cricketing fraternity, with many Mumbai Indians enthusiasts praising his decision of encouraging younger talent. However, Rohit Sharma is currently on course to earn a bigger IPL salary for the 2025 season than he did earlier this year for IPL 2024.
Back during the retention phase of the IPL 2024 season, the former Mumbai Indians skipper was retained by the franchise for a sum of Rs. 16 crore, i.e., slightly lower than his current pay scale of Rs. 16.3 crore.
In other news, the Mumbai Indians franchise has seemingly confirmed that controversial captain Hardik Pandya is set to continue as team skipper for the IPL 2025 season. The all-rounder had replaced five-time winner and decade-long captain Rohit Sharma earlier this year, thus drawing much criticism from fans and cricket experts.