5 times Rohit Sharma stood up as captain for MI

Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma is the most successful Indian Premier League (IPL) skipper in terms of trophies. The ace opening batter has led the franchise to the title across five different editions since taking over as captain in the 2013 edition.

Besides transforming MI into a major threat in the league, Rohit has himself evolved over the years. His captaincy credentials in the competition also helped him earn a leadership role at the international level as he is the current Team India captain across formats.

He has led the Mumbai Indians across 143 matches, winning 79 out of those, giving him a winning percentage of 56.64, which is only marginally behind MS Dhoni, who occupies the top spot. He has earned the distinction of being one of the most prolific captains after leading the team to back-to-back titles in IPL 2019 and 2020, with the latter being acknowledged as one of the greatest T20 sides ever assembled.

On that note, let's take a look at five such occasions where Rohit led the Mumbai Indians from the front.

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#1 Took up captaincy mid-season and led them to the title

The Mumbai-born batter was roped in by the franchise for a price of ₹9.2 crore at the 2011 auction.

He was touted for big things even before his playing days and made a prolific start to his IPL career by winning the title in 2009 with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers.

Following a sketchy start to the 2013 season, where Ricky Ponting's form came under scrutiny, he took the bold decision to step down from the captaincy. Rohit sprung into the spotlight after the side played five matches in the tournament.

Captaincy came naturally to the player as he led MI to eight wins out of the remaining 11 matches to secure a top-two finish. From there on, he guided the team to successive wins over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the playoffs and the final for their first-ever title.

Rohit left an imprint on the side and it was clear that huge things were in store for them as long as he was at the helm.

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#2 Player of the Match performance in IPL 2015 final

MI had a roller-coaster season in 2015. They began their campaign with four successive defeats, much like in 2014 when they lost their first five matches of the season. However, led by Rohit, the team once again turned things around.

While the team got to the playoffs by the skin of their teeth in 2014, they were able to manage a top-two finish in 2015. MI were a different prospect altogether in the knockouts by securing dominant wins to lay their hands on the trophy for the second time.

MI once again had to overcome CSK in the final. Rohit set the tempo with a blistering 26-ball 50. Coming into bat in the first over following Parthiv Patel's dismissal, he put up a 119-run partnership for the second wicket with Lendl Simmons.

The skipper was adjudged Player of the Match for his match-winning knock that included six fours and two sixes. His brute display helped MI amass 202-5 on the board, which CSK found too steep to chase.

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#3 Held his nerve in IPL 2017 and 2019 finals

After winning two titles, there was a championship mentality instilled in the Mumbai Indians' philosophy, which allowed them to come out on top in high-pressure moments at the business end of the tournament.

The franchise was subjected to two tense IPL finals in the 2017 and 2019 editions. They came out as victors by a one-run margin in both those matches, and Rohit had a huge role to play. Not necessarily with the bat, but with his captaincy.

He kept his troops on their toes and made key decisions to ensure that MI crossed the line. Both matches involved defending relatively low scores and surprisingly came at the same venue - the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

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#4 Passionate locker room speech during MI's disastrous IPL 2022 campaign

The last edition of the IPL was undoubtedly Rohit's toughest time as the captain of the team. MI finished bottom of the table for the first time in history, brought on by their forgettable start to the season as they lost eight matches on the bounce.

After their third successive loss of the season, Rohit inspired the dressing room with a rousing speech as a true leader, showing that he is MI through and through, saying:

"We seriously cannot be blaming individuals here. It’s all of us. We win together, we lose together. That is as simple as that for me.

"I think slight desperation is required from each one of us. That desperation is very, very, very important when we play, especially in this tournament. Because oppositions are different, they come up with different plans all the time. We just need to stay ahead of them. We just need to stay on top of them. And the only way we can do that is by having that slight hunger and that desperation on the field - with the bat, with the ball.

"There’s no point in putting our heads down at this point, because it’s still early days. Still early days. And I feel that, in these three games that we’ve played we’ve shown some character. It’s just that collectively, all 11 of us inside - whoever goes inside - need to come together."

While it took a while for MI to find their feet, they were much better in the latter half of the campaign. Several of their players have performed well across the international and franchise cricket circuit, giving them hope for the upcoming season.

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#5 Precious knocks under pressure

While Rohit's captaincy was invaluable to the franchise, he was also the talisman of the side when it came to batting. While the team boasted an imperious batting unit for the majority of his tenure, on a few select occasions, the skipper had to step up and do the job almost singlehandedly.

While there have been plenty of memorable knocks that Rohit has played in the IPL over the years, his nineties against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) come to mind when pressure is the considered parameter.

He scored an unbeaten 98 in the inaugural contest of the 2015 edition. With the team reeling at 37-3 inside the powerplay, he took the onus upon himself and played a captain's knock to help MI post 168. However, the innings went in vain as Mumbai lost the encounter by seven wickets.

Similarly, in the 2018 season, he scored 95 runs off 52 deliveries, coming into bat at 0-2 in 0.2 overs. His knock helped MI post 218 on the board, which proved to be sufficient by a significant margin.

What are some of the other instances you can recall where Sharma stepped up as the captain of MI? Let us know what you think.

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