Rohit Sharma explains why he agreed for less salary than Bumrah, Hardik and Yadav from Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025
India's ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma has explained why he agreed for just ₹16.3 crore salary as his retention value at the Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2025. The former MI skipper opined that players who represent India at the highest level in T20 cricket should get more salary than him.
The Mumbai Indians announced their list of retention today, with Rohit Sharma having the second-lowest salary among the five names retained. MI retained Jasprit Bumrah for ₹18 crore, while captain Hardik Pandya and star batter Suryakumar Yadav received ₹16.35 crore each.
Rohit settled for just ₹16.3 crore, and Tilak Varma got ₹8 crore. In a video shared by MI on X, Rohit opened up on why he agreed for less salary and said:
"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. 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," he added.
It is pertinent to note that MI retained Rohit as their number one retention for ₹16 crore before the mega auction in 2022. Although his salary has increased a bit, he was not the number one retention this time around.
"Mumbai Indians has a rich history of winning trophies" - Rohit Sharma keen to turn things around for MI
From 2022 to 2024, the Mumbai Indians qualified for the playoffs only once and settled for the last position in the points table twice. It was one of the worst cycles for MI in IPL history, and Rohit Sharma wants to change the team's fortunes now.
"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," he said in the same video.
"Mumbai Indians has a rich history of winning trophies, winning games out of unbelievable situations, and this is what everyone that wears the jersey should aim for. You know, because this is the team that never gives up," Rohit Sharma concluded.
With five capped retentions locked in, MI only have one RTM card available for the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. They can use that for an uncapped player, which will likely be Piyush Chawla, Nehal Wadhera or Naman Dhir.