New Delhi, India

Former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma could stay with the franchise for the next three years, but chances of that happening are bleak. With the mega IPL Auction just around the corner and all ten teams preparing hard to finalise their list of retentions, the deadline being October 31, all eyes will be on MI's decision surrounding Rohit.

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Rohit's former India and IPL teammate, Harbhajan Singh, opines that if Mumbai decides against retaining their ex-captain, under whom they won five IPL titles, Rohit's name on the auction table will lead to a massive bidding war. 

“It will be interesting to see whether he will be retained or not. If he goes into the auction pool, it will be fascinating to see which team bids for him. I’m sure many teams must be thinking along those lines,” Harbhajan said in a chat with Times of India (TOI).

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Praising the current ODI and Test captain, Harbhajan said even at 37, Rohit has plenty of cricket left in him and that he is a proven match-winner besides being a standout captain. 

With several franchises seeking a top-notch leader to build their team around, Rohit's name on the auction table could cause bidding chaos. 

“Rohit Sharma, as a leader and a player, is amazing. He’s a top-quality player, top-quality captain and leader. He is a proven match-winner. Even at 37, he still has a lot of cricket left in him. If Rohit enters the auction, he will fetch big bucks. It will be exciting to see the auction unfold,” he added.

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If not Rohit, then who?

Although earlier reports suggested that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are chasing Rohit to replace him with Faf du Plessis as the side's new captain, several other teams are keeping a close eye on his development. 

Earlier this year, Mumbai Indians replaced Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the new captain, sending shockwaves. Though MI fans took longer to accept this change, head coach Mark Boucher called it the need of the hour. 

Following Hardik's appointment as MI's new captain, the franchise failed to get going in the past season, ending it with eight points from 14 matches, sitting in the tenth position.

However, with the new season approaching, Mumbai Indians could retain their captain, Hardik, and the ace pair of Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, with young guns like Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma also in contention. 

(With inputs from agencies)