'When captain Hardik Pandya needs a shoulder, Rohit Sharma is there': Harbhajan Singh

NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma, who led Mumbai Indians (MI) to five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles, is set to return to competitive cricket in the upcoming IPL season starting March 28. Legendary Indian spinner and former MI player Harbhajan Singh believes Rohit should remain actively involved on the field rather than being used as an Impact Player.

The Impact Player rule, introduced in the IPL in 2023, allows teams to substitute one member of the playing XI with one of five designated substitutes at any point during a match.




This tactical 12th player can bat and bowl their full quota of overs, significantly enhancing team strategy, increasing scoring rates and enabling specialised batting or bowling reinforcements.



Speaking on JioStar, former India spinner Harbhajan urged the Mumbai Indians management to keep Rohit on the field.

He said, "Rohit Sharma has been used as the 12th man who just bats, but I feel that the kind of leader he has been, a player like him should be on the field."

The 38-year-old featured in most matches as an Impact Player last season, when Mumbai Indians finished fourth in the points table.

Harbhajan also believes MI captain Hardik Pandya can benefit from Rohit Sharma’s experience while making crucial decisions during matches.

"In tough matches, when you need to take certain calls, when a captain sometimes needs a shoulder to lean on, Rohit Sharma can do that for Hardik Pandya," said Harbhajan.

In the last IPL season, Rohit scored 418 runs in 15 matches for the Mumbai Indians, averaging 29.86 with a strike rate of 149.29, including a highest score of 81.

He achieved this after a slow start to the season, finishing with four 50+ scores and surpassing 7,000 career IPL runs during the eliminator against the Gujarat Titans.


Celebrating India's sporting legends at the Times of India Sports Awards - Book Passes Now!.