IPL Auction 2025: Rohit Sharma OUT? Harbhajan Singh helps Mumbai Indians finalize retention list

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh talked about the possibility of retentions for the Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2025. He believes that the franchise will retain 5 players and Rohit Sharma will be among them as he won the T20 World Cup 2024 for the Indian team.

Mumbai Indians have been under the scanner for a while due to the developments that happened in the last season of the league. Rohit Sharma was removed as the leader and Hardik Pandya was appointed as the captain after he was traded from Gujarat Titans.

Mumbai Indians will be facing a massive dilemma ahead of the mega auction

Mumbai Indians now will be facing a massive dilemma ahead of the mega auction. The deadline to retain players is around the corner, and naming 6 players among the squad full of superstars will be a tough job for the management, along with some other decisions.

Hardik Pandya wasn't accepted as a leader by the fans and was booed a lot. On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav is now the new Indian T20I skipper, and for him to play under someone else will be a tough job. Also, the future of Rohit Sharma with the team looks uncertain.

They will think of building a team for the future - Harbhajan Singh on Mumbai Indians

A lot of eyes would be on them as to whom they will retain. Amid all the fuss, Harbhajan Singh has shared his verdict on the possible retentions for Mumbai Indians. He believes that the franchise will build a team for the future and will be adding experienced players too.

He believes that Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav will be the top three retentions for the team and also was of the opinion that there isn't any clarity if Rohit Sharma will be retained or not. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:

"Mumbai Indians is a team that hasn’t played well in the last two to three years. They’ve been a champion team, a very good team, and as far as I know, they will think of building a team for the future. But that doesn’t mean they won’t add experienced players this year.

"Last year, they made Hardik Pandya captain, and I think he will be retained. Jasprit Bumrah will be retained, Suryakumar Yadav will be retained, and the question remains whether Rohit Sharma will be retained."

He has just won the World Cup as a captain, so I think he should be retained - Harbhajan Singh on Rohit Sharma

Harbhajan Singh further stated that with T20 World Cup 2024 under his belt, Rohit Sharma should be retained. He also believes that, along with the above-mentioned four players, Tilak Varma should be retained as he will be the future of the team. He also added that Nehal Wadhera could be picked as an uncapped player as well.

"He has just won the World Cup as a captain, so I think he should be retained, and he will be. That will make four players, and if there’s a fifth player, then Tilak Varma will be retained," said Harbhajan Singh.

"Tilak Varma is one of those players who will be very useful for Mumbai Indians in the future to win matches. When it comes to bowling, I don’t think there’s anyone else they would want to retain, so Nehal Wadhera could be a good option for them. He is an uncapped player, so he should be picked." he concluded.