A remarkable journey in Mumbai: IPL A major milestone was reached on Thursday. Rohit Sharma Completed 15 years with Mumbai Indians (MI), a franchise that has led him to five IPL titles, is building a legacy that will be hard to match and will inspire generations to come.Rohit started his IPL career with Deccan Chargers (2008-10) before joining MI in 2011, a move that was widely supported. Sachin TendulkarWho captained the team at that time. “It was Tendulkar’s decision that MI should buy Rohit in 2011. It happened right in front of me,” Tendulkar’s close friend and former Mumbai fast bowler Atul Ranade told TOI.
It was on 10 April 2011, when Rohit made his MI debut against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) at the Feroz Shah Kotla. He scored an unbeaten 27 in a comfortable eight-wicket win, sharing a match-winning stand with Tendulkar. Reflecting on that phase, Rohit had said, “Joining MI was an emotional moment for me. It was like coming back home.”Rohit’s career with MI took a turning point in 2013 when he was handed the mid-season captaincy following Ricky Ponting’s resignation. The ‘hitman’ promptly delivered, leading MI to their first IPL title that year and later the Champions League T20 crown.Between 2013 and 2020, Rohit led MI to five IPL titles, establishing himself as the franchise’s most successful captain. He has 87 victories as captain for MI, the most by any captain for the franchise, and has a perfect record of 5-0 in IPL finals. He also became the first MI captain to win back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020. His success at the franchise level played a key role in his appointment as India’s white-ball captain in November 2021.Rohit led MI till IPL 2023 after which the franchise handed him the captaincy. Hardik Pandya. Despite the change in leadership, Rohit remains MI’s highest run-scorer, scoring 5,994 runs in 230 matches, along with the most centuries for the team and the Player of the Match award. In recognition of his contribution, a stand at the Wankhede Stadium was named after him last year.The veteran opener started IPL 2026 strongly, scoring 78 against Kolkata Knight Riders, followed by 35 against Delhi Capitals. He is playing a prominent role by scoring 118 runs in three matches so far.As Rohit enters a crucial phase of his career, his long-standing association with MI is one of the most iconic player-franchise partnerships in IPL history.
