One of the main reasons why Mumbai Indians (MI) are the most successful team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is the astute captaincy of Rohit Sharma. Sharma has been the captain of Mumbai Indians since 2013 and has guided the side to 5 IPL titles.
Even though he has been a terrific captain and has helped Mumbai Indians unearth some exceptional gems of Indian cricket like Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Krunal Pandya, his batting hasn’t really been impressive.
Sharma averages only 30.3 and has failed to find form in the last few seasons of IPL. This naturally has affected Mumbai Indians and the 5-time winners of IPL haven’t qualified for the IPL playoffs in the last two seasons.
While Rohit Sharma hasn’t flourished as an opener in the IPL, he can most certainly once again don the role of a middle-order batter. He has previously admitted to having liked the position and has also played in that role.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why Rohit Sharma should bat in the middle order for Mumbai Indians:
1. Rohit Sharma could find form in the middle-order
After not being able to give Mumbai Indians the fiery starts he is used to giving while playing for the Indian cricket team, the Mumbai team management could well try Rohit in the middle-order.
This would take the new ball threat out of his mind and Rohit Sharma could play freely, which would be quite beneficial for the most successful side in the IPL.
2. Mumbai has good opening options
If skipper Rohit Sharma plays in the middle order, Cameron Green and Ishan Kishan could open the innings for Mumbai Indians. Green is a fantastic opener and Kishan needs no introduction at all.
Notably, Cameron Green has bagged a whopping Rs. 17.50 crores in the IPL 2023 mini-auction. If he plays in the opening position, he could well propel Mumbai Indians to blistering starts in IPL 2023.
3. Mumbai needs solidity and experience in the middle-order
After Kieron Pollard called it quits from IPL, there is a lack of experience and solidity in the middle-order of Mumbai Indians. This is most certainly an area where Rohit Sharma could chip in and fill up the void.
The experience which Rohit Sharma brings to the table is unparalleled. He has so far played 227 IPL matches and 148 T20I matches and has amassed 5879 and 3853 runs respectively.
Also read: IPL 2023: 3 Reasons Why Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Can Qualify For The Playoffs
