Harbhajan Singh anticipates 'intense bidding war' for Rohit Sharma as former MI captain's IPL fate remains uncertain

As the 2025 IPL mega auction approaches, all eyes will be on the Mumbai Indians as they face a critical decision regarding their former captain, Rohit Sharma. After relinquishing the captaincy to Hardik Pandya last season following his transfer from the Gujarat Titans, the franchise now finds themselves at a crossroads regarding the leadership of their team.

MI are the winners of a record five IPL titles under Rohit but their change of hands at the top didn't quite work out as smoothly as they would've liked. There was widespread displeasure among fans over the decision to replace Rohit as captain and Pandya copped boos at the Wankhede Stadium and MI finished rock bottom in the league stage.

It could be a different situation for Pandya this year, though. The all-rounder turned around his form and his standing with the fans by being an integral part of India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. Rohit's former Mumbai Indians teammate Harbhajan Singh believes that if the 38-year-old is not retained by the Mumbai franchise, it will ignite a massive bidding war at the auction.

"It will be interesting to see whether he will be retained or not. If he goes into the auction pool, it will be fascinating to see which team bids for him. I’m sure many teams must be thinking along those lines," Harbhajan told TOI on Thursday.

"Rohit Sharma, as a leader and a player, is amazing. He’s a top-quality player, top-quality captain and leader. He is a proven match-winner. Even at 37, he still has a lot of cricket left in him. If Rohit enters the auction, he will fetch big bucks. It will be exciting to see the auction unfold," the former India offspinner also said.

Rohit's future with MI is among the big conversations going into the 2025 IPL auction. Former India and KKR opener Aakash Chopra had said earlier that he feels the India captain's time with MI is over. "Will he stay or will he go? It's a big question. Personally, I feel he will not stay. Whoever is retained will be with the thinking that he will remain with you for three years, unless your name is MS Dhoni. MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings' story is very different but Rohit Sharma at MI, I feel he might himself leave or MI might leave him," he said on his Youtube channel.

"Anything can happen but I don't think Rohit is going to be retained here. I don't have any information but I feel Rohit will probably be released. He might go to someone in the trade window, that's a possibility that he doesn't go to the auction, but if that doesn't happen, he might be seen in the auction. I feel his journey with the Mumbai Indians is over," the former KKR batter added.