MI vs LSG: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya to be released by Mumbai Indians? Virender Sehwag shocks cricketing world

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag made a shocking statement about Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma following the Mumbai Indians' (MI) poor outings. Virender Sehwag stated that MI is unlikely to retain Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma for the next season.

Mumbai became the first team to be eliminated from the Indian Premier League 2024 season. MI managed to secure just four wins out of 13 matches. They will face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their final league match in Mumbai on Friday, May 17.

Hardik Pandya has been struggling throughout the IPL 2024. The MI captain has scored 200 runs and taken 11 wickets in the tournament. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma began the season on a positive note. However, Rohit's performance declined in the second half.

They Will Be The Top Two Names Retained - Virender Sehwag

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag stated that Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav will be retained by the Mumbai Indians before the next auction.

"Tell me something. Having Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan in one film won't guarantee a hit. Will it? You will have to perform, right? You need a good script. Similarly, all these big names will have to come together and perform on the ground. Rohit Sharma scored one century and MI lost. Where are the rest of the performances?" Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

"Ishan Kishan played the entire season and he couldn't last beyond the Powerplay. Only two names are certainties at this stage for MI – Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav. They will be the top two names retained. And if it then boils down to the third or 4th option, we will see," he added.

The IPL 2025 mega-auctions are scheduled for later this year. All 10 franchises have the chance to retain players. Rohit Sharma could enter the auction for the next season after being removed from the captaincy by the Mumbai Indians.

Am Not Keeping Rohit Sharma - Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary stated that either Jasprit Bumrah or Suryakumar Yadav should be the Mumbai Indians' next captain in the upcoming season. Tiwary suggested that foreign players should not be retained due to underwhelming performances.

"I am also looking at Bumrah and SKY as the two players who will be retained by Mumbai Indians. No one beyond them, and no foreign players either. Tim David has not lived up to the hype. My advice to the management would be to retain just two players – Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah – and make one of the two captains. I am not keeping Rohit either because, looking at him, it appears he doesn't want to be retained," added Tiwary.

Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav have leadership experience with the Indian team. Bumrah led India in a Test match against England and three T20Is against Ireland, while Suryakumar captained in a T20I series against Australia and South Africa.

Bumrah is the second-highest wicket-taker in the IPL 204. The right-arm pacer has taken 20 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 6.48. Suryakumar has scored 345 runs in 10 games at an average of 38.33 and a strike rate of 169.95, including a century.

Also read: RCB vs CSK: MS Dhoni becomes a bowler ahead of the high-octane match in IPL 2024 (Watch Video)