Akash Ambani comes up with cheeky reply on Mumbai Indians fan asking for Rohit Sharma’s return at IPL auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the 17^th season was historical as it saw some record-breaking bids. A total of 72 players were successfully bid for, with all 10 teams collectively spending a staggering ₹230.45 crore. Notably, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins garnered a combined sum exceeding ₹45 crore, while numerous uncapped Indian players made significant impacts. Amidst the auctioneer Mallika Sagar announcing players available for bidding, Rohit Sharma’s name was mentioned, but not for auction.

The five-time champions, Mumbai Indian (MI) entered the auction with INR 17.75 crore and successfully bought eight players which completed their squad of 25. Emphasizing the need for strengthening the pace attack, they acquired Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madhushanka, and Nuwan Thushara, while also adding spin experience with Mohammad Nabi and Shreyas Gopal. MI appear well-prepared to embark on the upcoming season with a formidable squad poised for a title challenge. However, uncertainties persist regarding the franchise’s position on Rohit Sharma. The seasoned opener was unexpectedly relieved of the captaincy role, with the returning Hardik Pandya taking over in a surprising managerial decision earlier this month.

Citing this, at the time of commercial breaks, a fan from the crowd wanted to give a message to the team management of MI and owner Akash Ambani. The fans shouted ‘Rohit Sharma ko wapas lao’ (Bring Rohit back as captain), to which Anant said: ‘Chinta mat karo. Woh batting karega’ (Don’t worry, he will bat).

𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢 💙#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/fNWLiWpgJS

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 19, 2023

Fans are not happy after Hardik Pandya was named as captain

The fans behaving in such a way is a result of MI’s choice to replace Rohit with Hardik Pandya as captain. Since the announcement last Friday, the MI fan community has been in turmoil, with many mocking Hardik’s appointment as captain. The star India all-rounder returned to the franchise after two seasons with Gujarat Titans, leading them to consecutive finals and a title-winning debut campaign. The cash-only trade reportedly materialized only when Hardik insisted on captaincy, and MI acquiesced.

MI is one of the most successful IPL franchises with five championships out of which the last secured the title in 2020. The lack of a trophy in the last three seasons along with their worst-ever performance in IPL 2022. They finished at the bottom with four wins led to a change in captaincy by replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya.