Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed the idea that Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Rohit Sharma will retire after the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
On his YouTube channel, Ashwin compared Rohit’s uncertain retirement timeline to that of former India wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni, who has continued playing beyond expectations.
Ashwin stated, “We don’t know if he’s (Rohit) going to play only one more year or longer. The same has been said about Dhoni, and he has ended up playing for many years and will likely return as a player again next season. In the future, I won’t rule out Naman Dhir also as a captaincy option in the future, looking at his clarity and unflappability.” He praised Naman Dhir for his composure and clarity of thought as qualities suited to captaincy.
Rohit Sharma has been one of the most successful batters in IPL history, scoring 7,329 runs in 281 matches. The right-handed batsman holds a highest score of 109 not out, with an average of 29.91 and a strike rate of 132.92. His IPL records include two centuries, 49 half-centuries, 661 fours and 323 sixes. Rohit began his IPL career with Deccan Chargers in 2008 before joining Mumbai Indians in 2011.
He has won six IPL titles: one with Deccan Chargers in 2009 and five with Mumbai Indians. Under his captaincy, Mumbai Indians secured the IPL trophy in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, making him one of the tournament’s most successful leaders.
Ashwin also commented on the future of Hardik Pandya at Mumbai Indians, indicating that Pandya is likely to leave the franchise via trade unless the team decides to retain him at the last moment. Ashwin suggested Mumbai Indians might seek a leg-spinner or an Indian left-arm pacer from Punjab Kings in exchange.
He said, “It’s almost certain that he (Hardik) won’t be with MI unless they try to retain him at the last moment. But I do believe he’ll be traded. MI might look for a leg-spinner in the trade, and there were even talks of MI targeting an Indian left-arm pacer from PBKS for Hardik.”
Hardik Pandya took over as Mumbai Indians captain in 2024 after rejoining the franchise from Gujarat Titans, succeeding Rohit Sharma. His appointment was met with considerable fan scrutiny, and MI finished last in the points table that year, winning just four of 14 matches.
In 2025, Hardik led Mumbai Indians to a fourth-place finish in the league stage and a place in the playoffs, though they were eliminated by Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2. However, the 2026 season was disappointing, with Mumbai Indians winning only four of their first 12 matches and finishing ninth overall with four wins and 10 defeats.
This failure to reach the playoffs for the second time in three seasons under Hardik has increased pressure on his captaincy and raised questions about his future leadership role.