Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes Mumbai Indians (MI) will have a discussion with Rohit Sharma regarding his future with the franchise before announcing their retentions for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
According to Chopra, Rohit will have a say on his future with the five-time champions, who will look to retain their Indian core ahead of the mega auction.
Aakash’s comments came after the BCCI unveiled retention rules for the IPL 2025 season. Each of the 10 IPL teams can retain up to six cricketers, with no restriction on nationality and including one uncapped cricketer. Besides, the Right to Match (RTM) card option has been reintroduced.
The first three retentions will see the auction purse - finalised at Rs 120 crore for a team - being reduced by Rs 18 crore, Rs 14 crore and Rs 11 crore, respectively. However, the two other additional retentions will cost more than the third. The fourth and the fifth retentions will see a reduction of Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore, respectively.
It means a team will see its auction purse reduced by a whopping Rs 75 crore on five players, with only Rs 45 crore left in its kitty for the IPL auction.
Speaking to Jio Cinema, Aakash Chopra said he has no doubt that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will be MI’s first-choice retention and skipper Hardik Pandya will also be retained.
"The most difficult thing is to retain the Indian core. MI have won 5 trophies and CSK have also won 5 trophies. Both of them have had strong Indian cores. Overseas players, you can like-for-replacement. But, Indian players are tougher to get. Can you tell me a like-for-like replacement for Jasprit Bumrah?" Chopra said.
"Indian retentions for Mumbai Indians seem straightforward. Hardik, Surya, Bumrah, you have three. After that, I think they will discuss with Rohit Sharma about the next step, I am pretty sure. It’s anybody’s guess after what has transpired. Whether he will stay in Mumbai or go elsewhere, I think it will also be his will. I think that will be a discussion. And then Ishan Kishan or Tilak Varma," he added.
The cricketer-turned-commentator said it will be interesting to see how Mumbai Indians go about their order of retentions, given that Bumrah, Hardik and Suryakumar Yadav will be automatic choices. The likes of Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Tim David are also in MI’s ranks.
"The interesting aspect will be the order of retention. Who will be the first, who will be the second and all that? Jasprit Bumrah is my No. 1 retention. He will be the first retention in the overall IPL, across all teams. If Bumrah is your first, then you have captain Hardik Pandya. He can be your fourth retention (Rs 18 crore). Then you have India’s T20I captain, he is Suryakumar Yadav. He will be come in Rs 14 crore category. Then you have Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma. Then there is the wicketkeeper-batter batter in Ishan Kishan, whom you retained for Rs 15 or Rs 15.5 crore. It’s going to be a tough one. Tim David is there. Uncapped Piyush Chawla is there," Chopra remarked.
