Kaif feels this franchise should make Rohit Sharma their captain ahead of IPL 2025

Rohit Sharma (Pic: File Pic)

Former Team India cricketer Mohammed Kaif said that in case Mumbai Indians star Rohit Sharma makes himself available for the Indian Premier League's auction, then Royal Challengers Bengaluru should take a chance and make him the captain for his team-building capacities.

Mohammed Kaif's statement came when IPL announced rules and regulations ahead of the retentions and auctions for the upcoming season.

Also, there are rumours surrounding Rohit Sharma's future in MI with whom he won five IPL titles. In the 2024 edition, MI brought back Hardik Pandya announced him as their franchise's captain and snubbed Rohit from the leadership role.

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The decision did not meet the approval of the majority of the franchise's fans, who booed Hardik out of the stadium across India throughout the 2024 season. MI finished the last season at the bottom of the table with just four wins in 14 games, and even Hardik underperformed throughout the tournament.

RCB on the other hand, have never been able to win any title despite having the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Dale Steyn and Zaheer Khan. Their best performances were when they finished as runners-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

Speaking on Star Sports, Kaif said, "RCB should take this chance. Somehow convince Rohit and make him the captain. He might not score that much as a batter, he scores forties and fifties, but I believe Rohit knows how to build a playing eleven very well.".

He also said that Rohit should play the IPL as a captain only, since he has a fine track record as a leader, which includes this year's ICC T20 World Cup that ended the Indian team's 11-year major ICC trophy drought.

"Rohit Sharma should play as a captain only in the IPL because he is such a great captain. He has come after winning the T20 World Cup. He would have offers. We know people would have been calling him and asking him to play for them. I feel he should take the role of a captain only, whichever franchise is offering it," he said.

Rohit is the third-highest run-getter in the IPL's history, with 6,628 runs at an average of 29.72, with a strike rate of 131.14. He has scored two centuries and 43 fifties, with the best score of 109'.

(With ANI Inputs)