How Rohit Sharma Transformed Mumbai Indians After Taking Charge as Captain

Rohit Sharma has proven himself to be one of the best captains in the IPL history. He started leading Mumbai Indians when the team had just one trophy in its cabinet. And he went on to help them win six titles before the team went on with Hardik Pandya as the new skipper.

Every dominant team in the IPL has a captain which turned them into a powerhouse. For Chennai Super Kings it is MS Dhoni and for Mumbai Indians, it is Mumbai Cha Raja, Rohit Sharma. He didn't play for Mumbai Indians when the IPL started but the team took a bold decision for the same.

Rohit Sharma was bought by Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2011 season. He came in already winning one IPL title with Deccan Chargers as a player. And exactly 15 years ago on this day, the team decided to go for Rohit Sharma, a decision which has paid them off to a good extent.

Let's look at the timeline of Mumbai Indians and Rohit Sharma.

Rohit Joins Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma joined Mumbai Indians on this day in 2011. It was the IPL Mega Auction, and the Hitman was a part of the auction table. When his name came up, several teams bid to get him to their lineup. But Mumbai Indians were way too keen to get him, as the bidding went to approximately 2 million US dollars. Eventually, they were able to get Rohit to the team for 9.2 crore rupees and the team had no trophies in their cabinet.

Rohit's Captaincy Debut

Rohit Sharma played two seasons for the team and Mumbai Indians had still not won a single title. At this moment, the team decided to make a bold decision, with Rohit Sharma being announced as the new skipper of the team. For the IPL 2013 season, he was announced as the new captain and this is where destiny changed for them completely.

Debut Year as Captain

Rohit Sharma made his debut as a captain in the IPL 2013 season and it turned out to be tremendous. Under his captaincy, the team finished 2nd in the table with 11 wins and even reached the finals by defeating Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2. In the ultimate clash, the team defeated Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs to win the IPL for the first time.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

Mumbai Indians also played the Champions League and reached the playoffs of the same. Winning the semi-final clash, they advanced to the finals against Rajasthan Royals. With Rohit Sharma as the captain, the team even defeated RR to win the CLT20 for the second time. Rohit Sharma lifted two titles in just a year.

Dominance in IPL

Following this, the real dominance of Mumbai Indians started in the Indian Premier League. While they didn't win the trophy in even years, the odd years almost made it sure that it would be Mumbai Indians who would win the title. Due to this reason, the team won a title in every second IPL season.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

This happened in IPL 2015, 2017, and 2019. Within a few years of being announced as a skipper of the team, Rohit Sharma had already led Mumbai Indians to win the Indian Premier League four times. But that was definitely not the place where he decided to stop, as he wanted to add more to the laurels.

Record Breaking IPL 2020 Season

The IPL 2020 season turned out to be record breaking for both Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians. Mumbai entered this tournament being the defending champions, and only once before them any team has managed to defend their title successfully, which was their arch rivals, Chennai Super Kings. But Rohit Sharma decided to add his team's name to the same.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

The team topped the table with 9 wins in 14 matches. Facing Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1, the team won the game by 57 runs to reach the finals in consecutive seasons. They faced Delhi yet again in the finals and this time also they were able to come out on top. Mumbai Indians won the game by 5 wickets, as Rohit Sharma scripted history. He made Mumbai the most dominant team in the IPL with 5 title wins and the second team to defend the title successfully.