Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary slammed Mumbai Indians’ think tank for using Rohit Sharma as an Impact Player in the ongoing IPL 2026 season. Rohit was used as an Impact Sub in the previous season and the same trend has continued in this edition of the tournament, including the match against KKR, which MI lost by four wickets at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday.
Tiwary reckons Rohit can contribute more to the team, in the field as well as a leader. Rohit has all the leadership experience and he can be a helping hand for skipper Hardik Pandya.
The former Bengal cricketer highlighted that MI were sloppy in the field against KKR and Rohit could have helped them.
“MI are keeping the wrong players in the wrong position on the field for fielding. Today, we saw Corbin Bosch at slip dropping a catch, then before that Naman Dhir also dropped one against PBKS. I keep coming back to the same point. When you have an experienced player like Rohit Sharma in your camp, who has been captain, then you don’t have to worry about the slip region. Rohit can catch those, right? If Hardik needs help in captaincy, then he can do that as well. So, why is he not being utilised? Why do you make Rohit Sharma sit in the dugout? I am unable to understand that,” he said on Cricbuzz.
The former right-hander added that Mumbai Indians are destroying the legacy which was set up by Rohit Sharma.
“Rohit Sharma is watching his legacy crumble before his own eyes over the last three years, and that is reflected through his expressions as well from the dugout. He knows that if I had been there, I would not have taken that decision. Even back then, I had said that removing him was the wrong call, and you can see the results now. They have just qualified once in the last 3 years. So, I am 200 percent sure that we will see a new captain next season, whether it be Surya or Bumrah,” he added.
On the other hand, former Indian spinner Murali Kartik questioned MI’s decision to bring back Hardik Pandya ahead of IPL 2024 and give him the captaincy baton ahead of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah.
“MI had retained Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav, before the IPL 2024 season, and all of them have led India in the past. So, at that time, when you bring in someone from the outside, that is going to spoil the atmosphere no matter what anyone says. The players get a shock. It would have been a different matter if Rohit did not want to do captaincy, or was asked about it by the management. So you lost the dressing room from that point on,” Murali Kartik said.
Mumbai Indians will play their last league stage match against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.
