"Abhishek Nayar would have definitely asked Rohit" - IPL winner's massive claim on MI-KKR trade ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif recently commented on the chances of Mumbai Indians (MI) star Rohit Sharma being traded to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction. He suggested that KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar must have asked Rohit if he was interested in playing for the franchise.

Notably, Rohit is very close to Nayar and has been seen training under him on multiple occasions. Kaif opined that the veteran opener would have turned down the offer to switch teams.

Kaif said during a live session on his YouTube channel:

"Nayar would have asked Rohit if he wanted to join KKR) According to me, Abhishek Nayar would have definitely asked Rohit if he wanted to join KKR. He must have asked, 100%. But Rohit, being Rohit, had a chance to go last time too, but he didn't. His family and kids are in Mumbai.

"So, it's convenient for him that way. He is around 39 years of age, so this could be in his mind that he will need to spend three-four months in KKR, where the pitch, people, everything will be different."

Rohit joined the Mumbai-based side in 2011. Under his leadership, the team won five IPL titles, the joint-most alongside Chennai Super Kings (CSK). His captaincy stint ended after all-rounder Hardik Pandya was appointed as the new skipper for IPL 2024.

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"Everyone is like family to him" - Mohammad Kaif opens up Rohit Sharma's bond with MI owners ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Mohammad Kaif pointed out that Rohit Sharma is very close to the Ambani family. He remarked that the star player would have considered playing for a different team if MI had different owners.

He said in the same video:

"Here, everyone is like family to him, and he also has a connection with Reliance. If Akash Ambani or Reliance weren't involved, maybe he would have considered leaving the team."

Rohit was MI's second-highest run-scorer this year. The seasoned campaigner amassed 418 runs across 15 innings at a strike rate of 149.28. The five-time champions failed to make it to the final, suffering a five-wicket loss to eventual runners-up Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2.