'He'll Bat, Don't Worry': How MI Owner Responded to Fan's 'Rohit Sharma ko Wapas Lao' Demand

The Mumbai Indians (MI) fans are a little disheartened after the franchise appointed Hardik Pandya as their next captain. The MI management traded the ace all-rounder from Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal and named him the leader of the pack, ending a decorated 10-year tenure of Rohit Sharma. However, the fans are finding it hard to sink it in.

One such MI follower was present in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 players’ auction at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Wednesday. During the break, the fan shouted, “Rohit Sharma ko wapas lao (Bring Rohit back as captain)”.

MI owner Akash Ambani, who was seated at the auction table, did hear the voice and instantly reacted by saying, “Chinta mat karo. Woh batting karega‘ (Don’t worry, he will bat).”

A X user, named Shivani Shukla, reported the incident and her post was picked by the Mumbai Indians in one of their videos on Instagram as well.

A post shared by Mumbai Indians (@mumbaiindians)

Mumbai Indians at the auctions

MI splurged 16.7 crore on eight players. Coetzee was their costliest pick at Rs 5 crore while they bought four uncapped Indians at Rs 20 lakh each.

The top pics of MI in the IPL 2024 auctions were mostly the fast bowlers. They bought as many as three overseas pacers, South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee (INR 5 crore), Dilshan Madushanka (INR 4.6 crore), and Nuwan Thushara (INR 4.8 crore), among others. They also roped in veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi who was recently released by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Players Bought by MI:

Gerald Coetzee – INR 5 Cr

Dilshan Madhushanka – INR 4.6 Cr

Nuwan Thushara – INR 4.8 Cr

Naman Dhir – INR 20 Lakh

Anshul Kambhoj – INR 20 Lakh

Mohammad Nabi – INR 1.50 Cr

Shivalik Sharma – INR 20 Lakh

Mumbai Indians full squad:

Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Romario Shepherd, Hardik Pandya (c), Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma.