Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who captained the Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles, has been seen in a new role at the franchise over the past two seasons of the IPL, playing as a proper batter. All-rounder Hardik Pandya succeeded Rohit at the helm last year ahead of the IPL 2024, but under him Mumbai had a disappointing group-stage exit. Opening up about his new role at MI, Rohit has remarked that he may be in a new role, but the goal remains the same: to bring the glory back to Mumbai Indians.
"Since I started, things have obviously changed. I used to bat in the middle-order; now, I open the innings. I was the captain; now, I'm not. Some of my teammates from our championship-winning seasons are now in coaching roles. So, roles have changed, a lot has changed, but mindset remains the same. What I want to do for this team has not changed, and that is to go out there and win games and trophies," Rohit told JioStar.
In the ongoing IPL 2025, MI have had a tough start to their new season, having won only one of their first three games. Meanwhile, MI won their fifth IPL title back in 2020.
“We understand that winning trophies is not easy. To win the IPL, you have to put in a lot of effort, and many factors need to come together. That’s the challenge of this tournament. You need to win 17 games—it’s almost half a year’s worth of T20 matches, but played in just two months. That is the challenge. There are many boxes to tick before you get to the trophy. Hopefully, we can have a great season with the exciting young players in our squad. My focus is not just on saying ‘we will win trophies’ but on ensuring we do the right things. If we do that, success will follow."