NEW DELHI: With the countdown to the 17th edition of the lucrative Indian Premier League ticking down, eyes will be on former Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, who was earlier removed as the skipper of the franchise as Hardik Pandya took over the captaincy duties.
Amid an hot and cold last couple of years with the bat and with the captaincy load now off his shoulders, it is expected that Rohit will be going all guns blazing in the upcoming edition of the cricketing extravaganza.
In the run up to the cricketing carnival, former India opener and two-time IPL winning captain Gautam Gambhir said that he feared Rohit the most during his playing days in the IPL and his former India teammate gave him sleepless nights.
Lauding Rohit’s ability to take the game away in a blink of an eye, Gambhir said he was forced to have multiple plans to counter the former MI captain.
“Rohit Sharma is the only player who has given me sleepless nights. No Chris Gayle, no AB de Villiers, no one. Only Rohit Sharma because I knew I had to had Plan A, Plan B and probably Plan C as well because if Rohit is in, In don’t think anyone can control him. The only batsman I feared in IPL was Rohit. I have never planned for any other batter in the IPL except Rohit Sharma.

“There have been times where I have seen the visuals, I would say fair enough Plan A is fine but with Rohit Sharma probably one night before I used to think if this doesn’t work, I have to get this, if this doesn’t work, I have to get the other plan. If Sunil (Narine) bowls his four overs, whose gonna bowl the next 16 and if I finish off Sunil early and Rohit is there, he cane get 30 off one over as well,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
In the 2022 and 2023 editions of the league, Rohit scored 268 and 332 runs, averaging 19.14 and 20.75 respectively.
Rohit has guided the Mumbai franchise to five titles – joint most in league’s history.