New Delhi, India

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has predicted which team Rohit Sharma could play for next season in the Indian Premier League. Following replacing him with Hardik Pandya as the team’s new captain ahead of IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians cleared their intentions of going ahead with a new captain, leaving Rohit’s position in the team up in the air. However, considering the mega auction takes place next year, Rohit might go into it as one of the marquee players.

Advertisment

Vaughan, a cricket pundit, feels outside of Mumbai Indians there’s only one team where he fits and it's Chennai Super Kings. Although Ruturaj Gaikwad was named MS Dhoni’s successor at CSK, with Dhoni stepping aside from captaincy a day before the start of this season, Vaughan feels Rohit, if picked by CSK, will replace him as the team’s new captain.

ALSO READ: IPL 2024: Is Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya hiding an undisclosed injury? Simon Doull thinks so

“Will he (Rohit Sharma) go to Chennai? Replace Dhoni? Gaikwad is doing it (the captaincy) this year, and it might be just (an act of) holding position for Rohit next year. I see him in Chennai,” Vaughan speculated when asked about Rohit’s potential franchise next year, during the recent episode of BeerBiceps podcast.

Advertisment

To which, the host, Ranveer Allahbadia said, “That'd be heartbreaking, honestly. For MI fans, that'd be terrible. I wouldn't mind him going to (Sunrisers) Hyderabad; he played for Deccan Chargers, so that would be romantic.”

Meanwhile, commenting on this ongoing and unpleasant saga of Pandya replacing Rohit as the franchise’s new captain, Michael said Pandya’s return to MI was bound to put pressure on him anyway; now with captaincy being bestowed upon him, it further mounted. Sharing his thoughts on whom of the two he would have picked, Vaughan said, 

"I personally would've captained Rohit. Hardik coming back to MI is big enough pressure in itself, and Rohit is obviously going to be the Indian T20 captain," Vaughan noted.

Advertisment

Rohit’s run at MI set to be over

With the mega auction happening next year and no word on the retention policy out yet, all teams could retain a maximum of three to five players as things stand. 

Considering the future, Mumbai, like any other team, would like to retain their youngsters, meaning Rohit might miss out on that list, and Mumbai could also skip opting for him at the auction. 

Rohit, a six-time IPL winner, having led Mumbai Indians to five titles starting from 2013, could actually move to a new franchise from next season onwards. 

But the question remains which one?