When you have built your reputation on delivering high scores day in and day out, any dip in form is bound to turn heads. For Rohit Sharma, one of white-ball cricket’s ‘the greats’, this IPL lean patch has extended over to a few years now.
The Indian stalwart will continue to be under scrutiny against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday, as his struggles with the bat add further pressure to an already fragile middle–order of the Mumbai Indians.
In three IPL 2025 matches, Rohit has managed 21 runs off 20 balls, including a four-ball duck in the opening game against Chennai Super Kings. That dismissal in Chennai was not only reminiscent of his struggles against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but also marked his 18th duck in the IPL.
MI’s batting coach, Kieron Pollard, though, remains optimistic about a turnaround. “He (Rohit) has etched his name in history, in record books across different situations and formats of the game. He’s a legend in his own right,” Pollard said ahead of the LSG-MI clashin Lucknow.
“There are times when you have a couple of low scores. As an individual, he is enjoying his cricket and not feeling pressured in certain situations. So, let’s not judge on a couple of low scores. In cricket, we know, we fail more than we succeed. I am sure we will be singing his praises when he gives us that big score, and then we will be on to the next hot topic.”
Pollard’s belief in Rohit is understandable. The two have been playing with and against each other since their under-19 days. However, neither he nor the management would make such statements without carefully assessing Rohit’s stats from the past seasons.
In 2024, Rohit amassed 417 runs at a strike rate of 150 — not bad, considering MI finished at the bottom of the league table. But there’s more to the story. The tally of 417 included a blistering 105 off 63 balls against CSK at Wankhede and another 68 in the final league-stage match. Aside from these two knocks, he had only two other scores above 40.
In IPL 2023, he scored 332 runs at a strike rate of 132.8, while in IPL 2022, his tally had dropped further to 268 at 120.18. The last time he averaged more than 32 (his average last season) in the IPL was back in 2016.
These numbers explain why Rohit’s form at the top of the order has been a concern for MI in recent seasons. During their last title-winning campaign in 2020, he registered three fifty-plus scores — the most he has managed in a season over the past five years. Clearly, it has been a while since Rohit delivered consistently with the bat for MI over an entire campaign.
While Pollard might not be reading too much into it, the question will surely linger in the minds of the MI management: How do they plan to mount a serious challenge for the title if their top order isn’t firing?
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