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The face of the Mumbai Indians (MI), veteran opener Rohit Sharma, will take up the role of a premier batter in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). A walking nightmare for any premier bowler, Rohit has been replaced by all-rounder Hardik Pandya as Mumbai’s captain for the upcoming season of the cash-rich league. India’s all-format skipper is the joint-most-successful captain in IPL’s history. Only MI Rohit and Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) MS Dhoni have won five IPL crowns as captains.
Sold to Mumbai Indians for a staggering sum of INR 13 crore in 2011, Rohit kickstarted his IPL career at now-defunct Deccan Chargers. The premier batter was signed by the Chargers for the debut season of the world’s richest T20 league back in 2008. Rohit was roped in for a handsome fee of $750,000 at the IPL auction. In the build-up to an IPL show, Rohit recalled that he wanted to buy a luxury car after the 2007 T20 World Cup winner hit the paydirt at the IPL.
Rohit’s childhood coach reveals lesser-known ‘Mercedes’ story
Speaking to SRG Sports ahead of the elite T20 tournament, Rohit’s childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, shared a lesser-known story about the Indian captain. Rohit was picked for the Mumbai Under-19 team under Lad’s watch. “Once Rohit and I saw a Mercedes car, he said, ‘Sir, I will buy this car one day.’ I told him, ‘Are you mad? These are too expensive.’ But told me: “Sir, I will buy it”. His confidence was very high. Rohit knew he could reach that level back then,” Lad said.
Rohit’s IPL captaincy record for Mumbai
Rohit was only 20 years old when the Deccan Chargers opted to invest heavily in the India batter for the IPL. Rohit penned a lucrative deal for INR 4.8 crore at the IPL auction. He finished as Deccan Chargers’ second-highest runscorer in the IPL. The 36-year-old also picked a stunning hat trick against Mumbai Indians in the second season. After leaving the franchise for Mumbai, Rohit won five IPL titles with MI in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. With Rohit as captain, MI won 87 games and recorded 67 defeats in 158 matches.
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