Mumbai Indians (MI) finally earned their first victory of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, beating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday. Pacer Ashwani Kumar and opening batter Ryan Rickelton were the highest performers for the franchise as MI secured a thumping 8-wicket victory. In an overall satisfactory performance, Mumbai Indians fans weren’t pleased to see former skipper Rohit Sharma failing to depart his mark again. Rohit departed for a 12-ball 13, leaving fans scratching their heads once more. Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels one other player in Rohit’s place would’ve been dropped from the team for similar numbers.
In a chat on Cricbuzz, Vaughan highlighted how Rohit can be judged purely as a batter now that he is not the captain of the Mumbai Indians franchise. The batter is even getting used as an Impact Substitute, with the franchise deciding not to make use of his experience in the sphere in a lot of the matches.
“I at all times scratch my head with Rohit Sharma in Mumbai. I at all times think, if he’s ok to be the Indian captain, how is he not captain in Mumbai? I can at all times say that because I just do not get it. He’s a beautiful captain for India. He’s done an ideal job,” said Vaughan.
“You will have to take a look at what’s happened within the last couple of years with the white ball scene. Now, if he’s deemed one of the best person to captain the national side, how can he not be one of the best person to captain the franchise team? He’ll play the entire season. I’m probably stirring up one other pot from last yr,” he added.
Because the start of the IPL 2025 season, Rohit has registered scores of 0, 8, and 13. Vaughan feels that had Rohit still been the team’s captain, things would’ve been much different, because the management would have valued him within the leadership capability, too. But, as a batter, it’s just not ok.
“You take a look at his numbers, you’ve got got to recollect, we’re judging Rohit just as a batter now, because he is not the captain. Now, I believe you possibly can get away with average numbers, they usually’re average numbers. In case your name’s not Rohit Sharma, you are probably losing your house within the side at some stage with those numbers. They don’t seem to be ok for a player like Rohit Sharma,” Vaughan asserted
“But when he’s the captain as well, and he’s adding his knowledge of being a frontrunner, the culture creator that he’s, tactician that he’s, and I see it regularly with India, and I’ve seen it with Mumbai previously, I cannot address those numbers. But once you’re just the batter now, that is how now we have to evaluate Rohit Sharma because he is not the captain. He needs runs,” he added.
Vaughan also said that a conversation must occur between Rohit and the management in regards to the current situation. The franchise has to seek out a strategy to get one of the best out of their former skipper.
“I’m not saying that they will do away with him. I’m not going to drop him. Come on, get us off to a start. Get your flow back, get your rhythm back, get your mojo back. Because for Mumbai to go and put right what they’ve not done right in the primary two games, it does require that senior core to supply,” said Vaughan.
“After which around that, in case your senior core, Trent Boult, Suryakumar Yadav, and clearly Rohit, produce their consistency, the children can just benefit from the game. You say to the young players, look, just get on the market and luxuriate in it. While you’re saying to the children on the minute, you are going to have to supply a little bit of magic for us. It’s quite hard. So I believe the Rohit numbers are an actual problem for the side and he has to attempt to get that right,” he added.
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