Former England captain Michael Vaughan has made a bold remark regarding former Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma, who is struggling for runs in the ongoing Indian Premier Legaue (IPL).

According to Vaughan, Rohit would have been dropped from his franchise if it were not for his heritage-rich name and immense popularity in the IPL.

While Vaughan acknowledged Rohit’s impressive tactical acumen, he mentioned that the star opener’s recent form would have posed trouble for any other player aiming to secure a spot in the playing XI.

Rohit has registered scores of 0, 8 and 13 in MI’s three matches this season so far. The right-hander has not crossed the 400-run mark in any of the past six seasons, further intensifying scrutiny over his current performance.

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Vaughan remarked on Rohit’s lack of big scores in recent IPL seasons, saying that his numbers paint a worrying picture.

"Remember, you are judging Rohit just as a batter now because he's not the captain (of Mumbai Indians). No, I think you can't get away with average numbers and they are average numbers. If your name is not Rohit Sharma, you're probably losing your place in the side at some stage with those numbers. They're not good enough for a player like Rohit Sharma. But if he's the captain as well and he's adding his knowledge of being leader, the culture creator that he is, the tactician that he is, and I see it on a regular basis with India, and I've seen it with Mumbai in the past," Vaughan said.

"I cannot cope with those numbers. When you're just the batter now, that's how we have to judge Rohit, because he isn't the captain. He needs runs. I am not saying that they'll get rid of him, and then they're gonna drop him. But it becomes a problem when you're star-man, your most senior batter at the top of the order, you kind of looking at in the dressing room and go - 'Come on, get us off to a start, get your flow back and get your rhythm back, get your mojo back'," he added.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians registered their first win of the IPL 2025 season on Monday (March 31) as they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets at the Wankhede Stadium.

Opting to bowl first, MI made the most of the decision, thanks to Ashwani Kumar’s impressive 4/24 on debut, restricting KKR to just 116 runs.

In reply, the five-time champions overhauled the target in 12.5 overs, courtesy of Ryan Rickelton’s 62 not out off 41 balls at the top of the order.