Former India and Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Manoj Tiwary criticized the Mumbai Indians think-tank for not utilizing the cricketing talent of former captain Rohit Sharma properly.
He criticized MI for the experiment Rohit Sharma Just being an impact player and not keeping him off the field. Tiwari said that an experienced captain like Rohit should not sit in the dugout.
Tiwari’s comments came after MI’s defeat to KKR on Wednesday.
KKR keeps playoff hopes alive after win over MI
Bowlers had fun on a humid pitch on a rainy night Eden Gardens On Wednesday. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane decided to bowl first and got results immediately.
Cameron Green dismissed Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dheer in the third over. Left-arm fast bowler Saurabh Dubey also dismissed Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in the powerplay, leaving MI at 46/4 in the powerplay.
Tilak Verma And Hardik Pandya was unable to generate any momentum from the innings. Sunil Narine did wonders like Sunil Narine, only 13 runs were scored in his four overs and Pandya’s wicket fell after giving away 26 runs in 27 balls.
Verma was out on the bowling of Karthik Tyagi after scoring 20 runs in 32 balls. Corbin Bosch scored unbeaten 32 to give MI a fighting score of 147 runs.
The MI bowlers enjoyed bowling on that surface, especially the first few overs on a Test match ground. Deepak Chahar dismissed Finn Allen in the very first over.
Manish Pandey Came to bat for the first time this season and landed at number 3. He weathered the initial storm and made a 38-run partnership with Rahane. Bosch made a comeback and removed both Rahane and Cameron Green in quick succession.
Pandey then added 64 runs with Rovman Powell before being dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah. This was followed by Powell, Tejashwi Dahiya and Rinku Singh. Pandey won the Player of the Match award by scoring 45 runs in 33 balls.
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“Why do you make Rohit Sharma sit in the dugout?” -Manoj Tiwari
After the match, Tiwary spoke to Cricbuzz and shared his opinion on Rohit Sharma continuously sitting out of the field.
Rohit Sharma has been in or out for the Impact since he was sacked as captain in 2024 player Has been a common strategy in MI. This has not happened in all the matches, but it has happened in most of the matches.
This means that Rohit has been sitting out of the field many times, which Tiwari did not like.
“MI is putting the wrong players in the wrong positions on the field for fielding. Today, we saw Corbyn Bosch drop a catch in the slips, then, before that, Naman Dheer also dropped a catch against PBKS. I am coming back to the same point. When you have an experienced player like Rohit Sharma in your camp, who has been the captain, you don’t have to worry about the slip area. Rohit can catch them, right?”
Tiwary said, “If Hardik needs help in captaincy, he can do that also. So, why is he not being used? Why do you make Rohit Sharma sit in the dugout? I am not able to understand this.”
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“I am 200% sure that they will have a new captain next year” – Tiwary on Mumbai Indians
Manoj Tiwary also criticized Mumbai Indians for spoiling Rohit Sharma’s legacy as captain. Ahead of IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians traded Hardik Pandya to Gujarat Titans to replace Rohit as MI captain.
In 2024, MI finished 10th but reached the playoffs in 2025. This year, the five-time champions are once again on track to finish in the bottom two. All five of MI’s trophies were under Sharma’s captaincy.
“Rohit Sharma has been watching his legacy collapse before his eyes for the last three years, and it is reflected in his expressions from the dugout. He knows that if I had been there, I would not have taken this decision. Even then, I had said it was the wrong decision to remove him, and you can see the results now.”
“They have qualified just once in the last three years. So, I am 200 per cent sure that we will see a new captain next season, whether it is Surya or Bumrah,” Tiwari said.