Rohit Sharma asks for lesser salary in interest of Mumbai Indians

What's the story?

Rohit Sharma was recently retained by the Mumbai Indians franchise for the upcoming Indian Premier League season.

The team management decided to pay Rs. 15 crore for his services. However, it was learnt that he could have matched Virat Kohli's salary of Rs. 17 crore, but chose to take the 'paycut' in the interest of playing for the Mumbai Indians.

"Rohit is a leader not just on field but off it too. We have seen him dropping to No 3 or lower down the batting order at times only to bring balance to the side. And now, his selfless gesture only goes on to proves that he keeps the team's priority over self," said a source close to the Times of India.

In case you didn't know...

The player retentions of each side were announced just a few days ago. Along with Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya were retained by the Mumbai Indians.

The franchise now has Rs. 47 crore left to spend in the auction, which take place on the 27th and 28th of January

The details

Rohit is the most successful captain in the IPL as he led the Mumbai Indians to three titles since taking over as captain in 2013.

He is also the highest run-getter of the side. He has played a total of 159 matches in the IPL with the Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers and has scored 4207 runs at an average of 32.61 and a strike-rate of 130.89.

What's next?

With the auctions coming up in a few weeks, the Mumbai Indians will be allowed to use the right to match card only for two foreigners, and not any Indians.

Author's take:

Rohit's decision to stay with the Mumbai Indians, despite not getting paid as much as he would have liked, shows the amount of dedication he has towards the franchise.

He has been an integral part of the squad for many years now and will hope to guide the Indians to another IPL title this year.