Shreyas Iyer sacked, Rohit Sharma named captain of IPL 2025 Team of the Tournament picked by ex-cricketer

Former Team India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has named his Team of the Tournament for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Sidhu omitted Shreyas Iyer, who led Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the IPL final, but picked Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Rohit Sharma as skipper of the Team of the Tournament.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched their first-ever Indian Premier League title on June 3. RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in a closely fought final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Rajat Patidar-led team delivered impressive performances throughout the season.

Rohit Sharma, Not in Anyone’s Team, Is My Team’s Captain - Navjot Singh Sidhu

Navjot Singh Sidhu announced his IPL 2025 Team of the Tournament in a video shared on his YouTube channel after the season concluded. Sidhu named Rohit Sharma as the captain of his side. He praised Rohit's leadership qualities and impressive track record.

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"The centrifugal force of my team is the captain. And when there's no acceptance of the captain because of the presence of big international legends in the team… Although I considered making Shreyas Iyer the captain, I felt that players like Nicholas Pooran, Josh Hazlewood, or Jos Buttler—who can easily accept. Rohit Sharma, who is not in anyone's team, is the captain of my team," he said.

Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer’s Performances in IPL 2025

Rohit Sharma didn’t lead any team in IPL 2025, as the Mumbai Indians had appointed Hardik Pandya as captain. He played purely as a batter and had a slow start. However, he bounced back with a 70 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and a fifty against Rajasthan Royals (RR), helping MI reach the playoffs.

His best performance came in the Eliminator against Gujarat Titans (GT), where he scored 81 runs to help MI secure a spot in Qualifier 2. MI fell short against Punjab Kings. Rohit concluded the season with 418 runs from 15 innings at a strike rate of 149.28.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer guided Punjab Kings to their first final in 11 years. Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting backed several uncapped players throughout the season. He had a poor performance in the final. Iyer amassed 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07, including six fifties.

Virat Kohli Selected as Opener in Team of the Tournament

Navjot Singh Sidhu picked Virat Kohli as Rohit's opening partner in his Team of the Tournament. He included Jos Buttler and Nicholas Pooran as middle-order batters in his lineup. The former cricketer ignored players like Suryakumar Yadav, Heinrich Klaasen, and Naman Dhir in his team.

The cricketer-turned-commentator selected Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya as all-rounders in his XI. Krunal was named player of the match for his impressive bowling in the final. Noor Ahmad, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, and Josh Hazlewood are specialist bowlers in the Team of the Tournament.

Navjot Singh Sidhu's IPL 2025 team of the tournament: Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Shreyas Iyer, Nicholas Pooran, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Noor Ahmad, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood.

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