IPL 2021: 3 milestones Rohit Sharma can reach this year

Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain in IPL history. After taking charge of the Mumbai Indians, he has led the outfit to five championship wins and is set to defend the title come IPL 2021.

Since 2008, the big-hitting Mumbai batsman has racked up 5000+ runs at an average of 31.31 and a healthy strike rate of 130.61 in his IPL career. Rohit Sharma only trails RCB skipper Virat Kohli, CSK star Suresh Raina, and Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner for most runs scored in the tournament.

The Team India star has the chance to set a few new records this year. With the Mumbai Indians set to open their campaign against Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday, here's a look at the personal milestones Rohit Sharma could set in IPL 2021.

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1) Rohit Sharma will look to win his first IPL Orange Cap

It's surprising that a batsman of Rohit Sharma's caliber hasn't won the Orange Cap even once. He didn't feature among the top 10 highest-scoring batsmen last season and that's a blip he would like to sort out in this edition.

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2) Rohit Sharma needs to stay unbeaten twice to equal Kohli's 30 Not Outs

The cricketing world is aware of the carnage Rohit Sharma can cause when he spends long periods of time at the crease. With 28 unbeaten innings, he only trails RCB skipper Virat Kohli (30) and Chennai Super Kings' Suresh Raina (28) in the list of batsmen with most not outs. The Hitman could make this record his own by the end of IPL 2021.

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3) A chance for Rohit Sharma to reach 6000 runs in the IPL

Touching close to 1000 runs in a single season may seem like a mammoth task, but Kohli's staggering 973 runs shows it is a possibility. For a man with two double hundreds in ODIs, blazing his way past 600 runs in a single season is a cinch if Rohit Sharma hits a purple patch right from the start of the tournament.

The Mumbai Indians captain is currently the fourth-highest scorer in the IPL with 5230 runs. This edition offers him a chance to hit the 6000-run mark, which would greatly help the Mumbai Indians in their bid to win a sixth IPL title.