Team India captain Rohit Sharma has been among the most valuable players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to his effortless batting and captaincy abilities. Sharma is one of the few players in the lucrative tournament to win IPL titles for each franchise he has played for, besides being the most successful captain.
However, Sharma has seen his fair share of ups and downs in IPL since being bought by Deccan Chargers for INR 3,00,00,000 in 2008. The prolific Indian opener was the second-highest contributor for the now-defunct franchise in 2008 behind Australian stalwart Adam Gilchrist. He amassed 404 runs in 13 matches at an average of 36.72 with a high score of an unbeaten 76. That season the franchise finished with a wooden spoon and lost their sponsors for the upcoming season. However, Sharma was retained for the IPL 2009 season by the franchise at a fee of INR 3,00,00,000 and played an instrumental role under the captaincy of Gilchrist to help Deccan Chargers win their first title. He was retained for the same fee in the 2010 season.
Sharma’s stakes in the IPL rose after he was bought by Mumbai Indians for INR 9,20,00,000. The then-young opener maintained an average of over 30 in his first two seasons for the franchise after being retained for the same fee. However, in 2013, Ricky Ponting suggested the management name Sharma as captain after the Australia World Cup-winning captain was struggling to get among runs. The development changed fortunes for Sharma as he completed a double by leading Mumbai Indians to their first IPL title and Champions League T20.
In the subsequent 2014 season, his retention fee was hiked by INR 3,30,00,000 to INR 12,50,00,000 per season from up to 2017. In this phase, Sharma added two more titles to his franchise tally in 2015 and 2017 and groomed the likes of Hardik Pandya to become one of the finest T20 all-rounders. The dominance shown by Mumbai Indians rose their stature in the lucrative tournament and made them one of the most consistent sides.
As a result, his retention fee increased to INR 15,00,00,000 from the 2018 to 2021 season, where Mumbai Indians added two more titles to their tally to become the most successful franchise in IPL history. The franchise continues to show faith in him as his retention fee further increased to INR 16,00,00,000 for the 2022 and 2023 editions. His total earnings in IPL salary is INR 1,78,60,00,000.
However, it is notable that although Sharma’s stakes have increased due to his captaincy, his batting abilities have been under the radar in the last few seasons. He averaged 29.30 in 2021, a dismal 19.14 in 2022 and played at an average of 19.77 in 13 matches of the ongoing season.
