XtraTime Web Desk: All eyes will once again be on Mumbai Indians inspirational Captain Rohit Sharma as he leads the franchise for the title defence in 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) which gets underway from September 19. The Hitman has etched his name as the most successful captain in the IPL with four trophies, the most by anyone in the tournament so far. Under his leadership, Mumbai Indians have won the IPL in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Rohit, undoubtedly is the most vital cog in Mumbai Indians’ line up, having delivered both with the bat and also with his captaincy. He is the third highest run scorer in the cash rich league (4898 runs) after Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. As we all know he is a natural stroke player and can be absolute devastating on his day against the bowlers. The Mumbai batsman has been enjoying tremendous run with the bat across all formats since the 2019 World Cup in England last year where he scored five hundreds in the tournament. Ever since he was elevated as an opener in the longer format, he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands as well. But when it comes to the shorter format, there are few who can match his striking abilities.
Rohit proved why he is regarded as a special talent when he became the first batsman to strike two double centuries in the ODIs and he now has three. He was one of the most consistent Deccan Chargers batsmen in the first three seasons of the IPL and was instrumental in his former franchise winning the 2009 crown.
After spending the first three seasons with Chargers, Rohit was brought by Mumbai Indians in 2011 IPL season. He was elevated as the captain in 2013 season and went on to lead MI to their maiden IPL crown. In the same year, MI also completed a grand double when they clinched the Champions League T20 title.
The highlight of Rohit’s captaincy stint with MI was during the 2015 IPL season when the franchise won just one game from their first six outings. But under his remarkable captaincy, Mumbai Indians staged a remarkable turnaround in the tournament and went on to win its second title. Rohit scored a half-century in the final and was named the Player of the Match.
Rohit will go into the cash rich league with happy memories of leading India to the Asia Cup title in Dubai in 2016. He will also be high on confidence having won the highest sporting award of the country – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. The Mumbai Indians fans will be hoping that Rohit Sharma continues his love affair with the IPL and guides MI to its fifth title in UAE.