New Delhi: Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers believes it will be one of the biggest moves in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL)if Rohit Sharma moves to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the upcoming mega auction. Speculations have been rife that RCB might target Rohit in the mega auction if he is released by his current franchise Mumbai Indians (MI).
Rohit was sacked as Mumbai Indians captain last year and was replaced by star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Ever since his sacking, there have been multiple reports of a rift in the MI dressing room and that not all is well between the Hitman and the Mumbai Indians team management. It remains to be seen if MI will keep hold of their former captain or release him ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
During a live Q&A session on his YouTube channel, a fan asked De Villiers about Rohit’s potential move to RCB in the upcoming auction. The RCB great said it would be a bigger move than Hardik returning to MI last season if Rohit joins the Virat Kohli-starrer franchise ahead of IPL 2025. However, he insisted it is unlikely that MI will release Rohit.
“I almost laughed at the Rohit comment. That will be quite a story if Rohit moves from Mumbai Indians to RCB. Wow! Imagine the headlines. It will be bigger than Hardik Pandya’s move. He moved from Gujarat Titans back to Mumbai, which although wasn’t big a surprise. But if Rohit moves from Mumbai to join his rivals in RCB…oh my god,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
“I don’t think there is an option there. I don’t see a possibility of MI leaving Rohit. I will give that zero or 0.1 per cent chance,” he added.
Will RCB replace Faf du Plessis as captain?
RCB appointed Faf du Plessis as captain after Virat Kohli stepped down from the role ahead of the 2022 season. While the South Africa batter has done well in the leadership role in the last three seasons, he is already 40 and RCB might need to replace him to plan for the long-term. RCB will head into the IPL 2025 mega auction looking for potential candidates for captaincy.
Rohit might be an ideal choice for them if the Indian Test and ODI skipper is released by Mumbai Indians. However, the chances of MI releasing Rohit are slim. Meanwhile, De Villiers believes RCB should continue with Du Plessis as captain despite his age.
RCB great AB de Villiers recently opened up on Rohit Sharma’s speculated move to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. De Villiers said if Rohit is released by Mumbai Indians and RCB manage to get him, it will be a bigger move than Hardik Pandya’s return to MI last year. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
