Rohit Sharma IPL Career, Records & Stats

After the fifteen editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rohit Sharma has emerged as a colossal figure. The explosive player has showcased his mettle in the tournament numerous times. Since 2013, he has been playing the role of a skipper for Mumbai Indians (MI), and currently, he is also the most successful leader in the history of the marquee league.

Back in 2008, when the IPL came into existence, the 20-year-old Sharma started his journey in the tournament with the now defunct Hyderabad-based franchise Deccan Chargers (DC), under the guidance of cricketing maestros Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, VVS Laxman, Herschelle Gibbs, Shahid Afridi, and Scott Styris. Among all these iconic names, the youngster grabbed his chance and emerged as the second-best batter, following Adam Gilchrist. In his team’s horrendous journey, he backed himself and scored 404 runs in 13 matches at a staggering strike rate of 147.98, which included four half-centuries. 

After having a blast in the maiden season, he remained quiet with his bat in his team’s remarkable title victory in the second edition of the tournament. In most of the games, he struggled to pile up runs swiftly but the game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) became a memorable one as he scored a match-finishing 32 off just 13 deliveries and took his team home. Earlier, in the competition, he picked up a hat-trick as well against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 32nd game.

Thrilled by their trophy win in 2009, the Chargers were looking forward to showing their best again to defend the title in the third installment of the league. This time, Sharma was one of the crucial names in DC’s batting line-up. Understanding his role in the squad, he showed efficiency again and came out as the second-highest run-getter for the Hyderabad franchise.

Despite delivering fine numbers to the Chargers, he went under the hammer in the 2011 mega-auction. Witnessing his batting figures in the past three seasons, Mumbai Indians (MI) snapped him into the bidding arena. In the initial two seasons for his new team, he exuded confidence and notched up more than 800 runs in 30 games. In 2012, the swashbuckling batter also smashed a ton against his favorite opponents Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

In 2013, MI saw their future in the local boy Sharma and handed the captaincy mantle to him after Ricky Ponting relinquished his position midway following a dismal run. Holding the reins of the team, the Nagpur-born batter looked confident and lifted the prestigious trophy with his leadership.

The prolific right-handed batter strengthened his team with 538 runs in 19 matches and turned out as the batter with the most runs for his team. At the end of the season, there was a huge surge in his popularity as he powered his team with his captaincy to beat the two-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final, and gave the Mumbai-based franchise its first of the many titles they bagged in the future.

Elated by their team’s sensational 2013 performance under the young and dynamic captain, MI supporters kept their expectations high in 2014 again. Unlike the previous season, this time, the defending champions struggled to claim victory in the first five games. However, despite struggles in the initial stage of the competition, he succeeded in taking the team to the knockout round.

The 2015 edition witnessed Rohit Sharma wreaking havoc on bowlers again. Utilizing his batting skills, he amassed 482 runs in 16 matches at an impeccable strike rate of 144.74. Riding on his incredible batting efforts and captaincy, MI brought their second trophy home.

In the 2016 edition, the Hitman went on to continue his terrific run with the bat for Mumbai Indian, scoring 489 runs at an average over 44, and a decent strike rate of 132.88. In 2017, Mumbai Indians managed to bag its third title, however, skipper Rohit could not contribute much with the bat scoring at a poor average of 23.78. 2018 edition was similar with the bat for skipper Rohit, and additionally, MI also failed to qualify for the knockout stage.

In 2019 and 2020, he bagged IPL trophies again and became the most successful skipper in the history of the tournament. The 35-year-old has decorated MI’s cabinet with five trophies thus far. Currently, he is also the highest run-scorer for MI with 4709 runs in 182 matches at a strike rate of 129.52.

After 2020, Sharma is going through a lean patch as an explosive opener and talented captain has not only struggled to be among the runs, but has also looked ineffective as a captain with many questions being raised on his abilities as a leader.

Let’s have a glance at Sharma’s spectacular achievements in the T20 extravaganza

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