IPL 2026: "Namumkin hai"- Mumbai Indians' take a dig at Kolkata Knight Riders amid rumours of Rohit Sharma's trade rumours

Rohit Sharma won the IPL as Mumbai Indians captain in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Legendary Mumbai Indians (MI) cricketer Rohit Sharma has been rumored to end his more than a decade-long association with the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winning franchise. It was under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy that MI won the five IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.

Then MI struggled to reach the playoffs in the next four IPL tournaments until Rohit Sharma was removed as MI captain and replaced by Hardik Pandya, whom MI bought from the Gujarat Titans (GT) before the IPL 2024.

Rohit Sharma is no longer the Indian captain in any of the formats as well, having retired from T20Is in 2024 and tests in 2025, while being replaced in ODIs by Shubman Gill.

At 38 years old, Rohit Sharma had struggled with fitness as well, with fans accusing him of being disinterested in playing for the franchise.

Recently, as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) named Abhishek Nayar as their head coach, replacing Chandrakant Pandit, rumours floated that Rohit Sharma will move from MI to KKR ahead of IPL 2026.

Abhishek Sharma and Rohit Sharma are close friends, and Nayar recently helped Rohit get back in shape after the Mumbaikar was slammed online for being unfit.

Namumkin hai… MI posts Rohit Sharma’s photo with the franchise name in the background

Rohit and Nayar were seen together in various photos and videos before the Australia tour, practicing in the gym and on the pitch, and the former India captain had shed almost 10 kg. Rohit Sharma’s fitness efforts paid off, as he delivered an outstanding performance on the Australia trip, finishing the series as the highest run-getter.

After failing in the first ODI, he slammed 73 runs in the second game and 121* runs in the third game to bag the Player of the Series award. Thanks to these performances, Rohit Sharma also became the no. 1 ranked ODI batter in ICC rankings for the first time in his career.

Given Rohit Sharma’s friendship with Abhishek Nayar, fans of both clubs anticipated a historic deal between MI and KKR, with the renowned Indian batter joining his longtime friend in the Knight Riders camp.

However, the Mumbai Indians, in a cryptic post, hinted that Rohit will not be moved to KKR, putting all speculation to rest.

“𝗦𝘂𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻—ye toh confirm hai—but at (K)night… मुश्किल ही नहीं, नामुमकिन है!”: MI posted on X.

In 227 IPL innings, Rohit has struck 5876 runs for MI at an average of 29.53 and a strike rate of 132.22. If Rohit is kept, MI’s batting lineup will undoubtedly improve, and their leadership group will gain valuable experience ahead of the mini auction.

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