Rohit Sharma’s masterstroke from MI dugout, sends message to Karn Sharma that sparked Delhi Capitals’ collapse

Rohit Sharma may have been struggling to get runs for Mumbai Indians, but on the last two occasions, he has shown, why the franchise still needs him.

On Sunday, Mumbai secured only their second win this season, ending the Delhi Capitals juggernaut with a 12-run win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. It was a masterstroke from Rohit that sparked the victory in the final half of the game.

Delhi had found themselves cruising through to the target of 206, riding on a sensational show from Karun Nair, who was playing his first IPL match in three years. He scored a blazing 22-ball fifty, his first half-century in the league in seven years, as Delhi at one time were 135 for two in the 12th over.

Mumbai did some damage with back-to-back wickets, but it wasn’t enough, with Delhi still having the arsenal to keep the fight alive. Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma have shown their ability to down the order and talent to close games, even in tough situations. However, Mumbai, or rather Rohit had other plans.

At the start of the 14th over of the chase, Rohit, who was then in the dugout, signalled Karn Sharma to opt for a change in the ball. According to the new IPL rule, introduced at the start of this season, bowling teams in a night game can change the ball after 10 overs, a move to counter the dew factor.

Mumbai, hence, opted for the second ball, and Karn struck in the third ball of the over, dismissing Naman Dhir, and then returned an over later to get rid of in-form KL Rahul. Delhi, who were cruising at more than 11 runs per over, managed just 22 runs in the next 24 balls. Vipraj Nigam threatened Mumbai with some late flourish, but was put to a halt by Mitchell Santner in the 18th over, before Mumbai closed the game with three consecutive run outs in the 19th over.

Last week, in the game against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium, where he was not part of the XI, Rohit had pulled off a similar, where he had signalled the bowler to user the slower variation against Nicholas Pooran and the West Indies star was dismissed a few deliveries later.

Rohit’s batting woes continues

In five games this season, Rohit scored just 56 runs at 11.20. He has yet to score more than 20 runs in an innings in IPL 2025. Since 2023, he averages only 24.39 in the IPL, the second lowest for an opener (min. 25 innings).