Five Titles in Blue and Gold: Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Years
From a Deccan Chargers hat-trick to five trophies as Mumbai Indians captain. The career of the IPL's most successful captain alongside MS Dhoni.
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have each captained their teams to five IPL titles, more than anyone else. Dhoni did it at Chennai over 14 years. Rohit did it at Mumbai Indians in just eight seasons, from 2013 to 2020, turning a team that had never won the league into its most successful side.
Starting at Deccan
Rohit's IPL career began with Deccan Chargers, who bought him at the first auction in 2008. In 2009, when the tournament was played in South Africa, he was part of the team that won the title, took a hat-trick against Mumbai Indians and was named Emerging Player of the season.
Moving home
At the 2011 auction, Mumbai Indians bought Rohit for $2 million. It was a homecoming, as he had grown up in Mumbai. In 2012 he hit his first IPL hundred, 109 not out against Kolkata at Eden Gardens.
Midway through 2013, Ricky Ponting stepped down as captain and handed the job to Rohit. Mumbai won the title that season, beating Chennai Super Kings in the final at Eden Gardens.
Five finals, five wins
Rohit's Mumbai never lost an IPL final. The 2017 and 2019 finals were both won by a single run. In 2019, Lasith Malinga had to defend nine runs in the last over against Chennai, and trapped Shardul Thakur lbw with the final ball. In 2020 in Dubai, Rohit made 68 in the final against Delhi Capitals, and Mumbai became the second team to win back-to-back IPL titles, after Chennai in 2010 and 2011.
| Final | Opponent | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | CSK Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata | Won by 23 runs |
| 2015 | CSK Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata | Won by 41 runs |
| 2017 | RPS Rising Pune Supergiant | Hyderabad | Won by 1 run |
| 2019 | CSK Chennai Super Kings | Hyderabad | Won by 1 run |
| 2020 | DC Delhi Capitals | Dubai | Won by 5 wickets |
What made him a great captain
Rohit's Mumbai built their success on a strong core that stayed together for years: Kieron Pollard, Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, and later Hardik and Krunal Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav. He was known for staying calm under pressure and for using his bowlers cleverly, especially Bumrah and Malinga at the death.
After the captaincy
In December 2023, Mumbai traded to bring Hardik Pandya back from Gujarat Titans and made him captain for 2024. Rohit stayed as a batter. That season he made 105 not out against Chennai at the Wankhede, although Mumbai lost the match, and Mumbai retained him for the 2025 mega auction. In 2025 he became only the second player, after Virat Kohli, to score 7,000 IPL runs.
Stats in this story are correct to the end of the 2025 IPL season.
