3 ideal opening partners for Rohit Sharma who MI should target at IPL 2025 Auction ft. Quinton de Kock
The much-anticipated IPL 2025 Mega auction is less than a week away and the franchises will likely be in the final stages of strategizing for the two-day event on November 24 and 25. While some have signaled a start-from-scratch approach based on their retentions, others like the Mumbai Indians (MI) have kept their core intact.
MI retained five marquee Indian names - Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Tilak Varma for a total of ₹75 crores. They will have another ₹45 crores in the purse for the auction to build the rest of the squad.
Despite being the joint-most successful franchise with five IPL titles, MI has struggled more recently, qualifying for the playoffs only once in the last four seasons. Central to their issues has been the lack of consistency at the top with the bat.
While Rohit has himself been off-color in the past few IPLs, MI will be desperate to land the ideal opening partner for the former skipper at the auction.
Considering the strength in the middle order with big Indian names like Surya, Tilak, and Hardik, an explosive overseas opener would ideally fit the bill. MI are also on the lookout for a wicketkeeper after letting Ishan Kishan go and an overseas opening batter who can don the gloves would be the perfect foil to Rohit Sharma and for team balance.
With that in mind, let us look at the three players MI should target as Rohit Sharma's opening partner in the IPL 2025 auction.
#1 Quinton de Kock
How about a Quinton de Kock-Rohit Sharma-MI reunion from the glory days? The South African wicket-keeper batter played for the franchise for three years from 2019 to 2021.
De Kock helped MI become only the second team to win back-to-back IPL titles in 2019 and 2020. The southpaw scored over 500 runs in both seasons at an average of over 35 and a strike rate of almost 138.
De Kock has also opened with Rohit in 37 innings over those three years and the duo averages an impressive 34.29 as a partnership. The pair also rank second all-time for most runs as an opening pair for MI in the IPL with 1,269 runs.
While he has only played 15 games over the past two IPL seasons, De Kock showed at the 2024 T20 World Cup there is still plenty left in his tank. At 31, the South African is still at the prime of his career, and MI would be well-served to welcome De Kock back as he opens with a base price of ₹2 crores at the auction.
Add the right-left combination as a bonus and the Rohit-De Kock opening burst could be MI's match made in heaven.
#2 Jos Buttler
If MI is searching for the most accomplished overseas wicket-keeper opener, they should look no further than England's Jos Buttler in the auction. Like De Kock, Buttler also played for the franchise previously in the first two seasons of his IPL career in 2016 and 2017.
Buttler helped MI win their third IPL title in 2017, scoring 272 runs at an average of over 27 and a strike rate of almost 154 in 10 outings. Buttler's ability to bat in multiple gears could be ideal for a Rohit capable of attacking from the word go or playing second fiddle.
Even in a supposedly down season, the England gloveman scored 359 runs at an average of almost 40 and a strike rate of over 140 with two centuries in IPL 2024. Buttler has been exceptional T20I form this year with an average of 42 and a strike rate of 164.41 in 15 outings.
At a base price of ₹2 crores, Buttler is likely to be high on several teams' lists, yet, MI must go all-out to land arguably the greatest wicket-keeper opener in T20 history.
#3 Phil Salt
If MI base their second opener selection on current form, it is hard to look beyond England's Phil Salt. In just his second IPL season this year, Salt played a massive role in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) winning their third title.
The 28-year-old provided KKR with blistering starts and finished with 435 runs in 12 matches at a stellar average of 39.54 and a breathtaking strike rate of 182. Salt's T20I form has been just as stunning with 801 runs at an average of over 42 and a strike rate in the high 160s since 2023.
The devastating opener has also scored three T20I centuries over the past 11 months, cementing himself as arguably the most in-form short-format batter in world cricket.
Salt's form and the ability to attack from the outset should help Rohit rediscover his best form in the IPL and provide MI with rollicking starts in the powerplay.