Royal Challengers Bangalore have been playing in the IPL since its inception, but the franchise has never won the championship. Rumors suggest that for the 2025 season, Bangalore is looking for a leader who has already led a team to victory in order to finally capture the elusive title.
One such leader is Rohit Sharma. This year, under his captaincy, India won the T20 World Cup. In IPL history, he is the most successful captain, having led Mumbai Indians to five championships in 11 seasons. However, in the most recent season, Mumbai replaced him with Hardik Pandya as captain. It’s rumored that Mumbai might release Rohit this time.
If that happens, Rohit will be up for grabs in the mega auction in November, and Bangalore might seize the opportunity to sign him. However, any franchise aiming to acquire a star player like Rohit will need to spend a hefty sum. Ravichandran Ashwin has already estimated what that amount could be. According to this Indian team player and Rajasthan Royals spinner, any team wanting to sign the 37-year-old batsman would need to spend at least 20 crore rupees.
How likely is it to see Rohit play in the IPL alongside Virat Kohli, who has become synonymous with Bangalore? A cricket fan asked Ashwin this question on his YouTube channel. In response, Ashwin said, “If you want to get Rohit Sharma, you’ll have to set aside 20 crore rupees in advance.”
Under Pandya’s leadership, Mumbai finished at the bottom of the points table in the last IPL season. However, without the additional pressure of captaincy, Rohit performed brilliantly with the bat. In 14 matches, the batsman, known as ‘Hitman’, scored 417 runs, including one century and one fifty, with an average of 32.08. His strike rate of 150 was even more significant. Rohit excels at giving his team a flying start with his explosive batting, which could make him even more desirable to franchises.
Before the first IPL season in 2008, the now-defunct franchise Deccan Chargers bought Rohit for 3 crore rupees. In 2011, he moved to Mumbai for 15 crore rupees. From the 2022 season, his salary has been 16 crore rupees. Ashwin believes that despite Rohit’s age, his value won’t decrease—in fact, it will likely increase.
According to the new IPL rules, each franchise can retain a maximum of six players. The list of retained and released players must be submitted to the BCCI by October 31.
