"If Rohit Sharma comes in the auction.." PBKS' Sanjay Bangar says franchise ready to splash money on India opener

Rohit Sharma was removed as Mumbai Indians’ captain ahead of the IPL 2024 season and was replaced by Hardik Pandya.

Despite recently leading the Indian cricket team to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 glory, Rohit Sharma‘s future with his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Mumbai Indians, is uncertain.

Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, Mumbai could be left in a conundrum over their most decorated player who has led them to five IPL titles.

The BCCI is yet to confirm the retention rules for the mega auction. It is believed that the board could give the franchises up to six retentions and Right To Match (RTM) cards. The specific details will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

MI already have plenty of T20 giants and potential T20 superstars in their squad, which might lead them to release the 37-year-old Rohit, who recently retired from T20Is.

Punjab Kings likely to show interest in Rohit Sharma if he is available in the auction

If MI do release Rohit and if the former Indian skipper enters the auction, then a bidding war could be sparked. Punjab Kings (PBKS) is the franchise that could be most interested in Rohit as their captain and opener Shikhar Dhawan is now retired.

PBKS’ head of cricket development Sanjay Bangar hinted that if the franchise has the budget, they could go hard after Rohit in the auction. Bangar reckons Sharma, who has been in great touch with the bat since last year, could fetch a huge bid in the auction.

“It all depends on whether we have the money in our pockets. If Rohit comes in the auction, I certainly believe, he is going to go for a high price,” Bangar said on the RAO Podcast YouTube channel.

Rohit was replaced as the MI captain ahead of the IPL 2024 auction after the franchise traded in Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans. MI finished at bottom of the points table in Hardik’s debut season as their captain.

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