“They might be looking to pull Rohit Sharma” – Former batter opens up on possible MI-KKR deal ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif believes that there is a possibility that the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will engage in trade talks ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the three-time champions would be keen to get five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma on board after Abhishek Nayar’s elevation to head coach of the Kolkata-based franchise. He, however, believes that the 38-year-old would continue to be faithful to the Ambani-owned franchise.

Kaif’s remarks came after reports that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are engaged in a trade deal between Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja. As per ESPNcricinfo, RR wants to trade Samson with CSK all-rounders Jadeja and Sam Curran.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said on Sunday (November 9):

“They might be looking to pull Rohit Sharma as well. Abhishek Nayar would be keen to have him. Who wouldn’t want him as captain? He’s a five-time IPL-winning captain. Rohit, obviously, would have had a lot of options last year as well. He wouldn’t want to leave his faithfulness. He might come up with a similar answer this year.”

The 44-year-old reiterated that Rohit should play as a captain in IPL. He continued:

“He should play as captain till he plays, which I’ve said last year as well. Whatever he can do, there would be very few players who can run a team like that, like picking three or four spinners in the 2024 T20 World Cup, as per the conditions.”

Kaif's statement came as MI played him mostly as an impact substitute in the last IPL season.

“It is done when you see a leadership role” – Mohammad Kaif on KKR shelling out big money on Venkatesh Iyer last year

Mohammad Kaif further slammed KKR for shelling out INR 23.75 crore on Venkatesh Iyer last season. The former cricketer said that a franchise spends such amounts for captaincy roles or genuine all-rounders. He added that the Knight Riders made Ajinkya Rahane their skipper at the last minute.

“KKR spent a huge amount of money on Venkatesh Iyer last year. It's not only about batting and winning games. It is done when you see a leadership role or when the individual is an all-rounder, bowls and bats as well. In KKR, there are a lot of people from Mumbai, so at the last minute, they made Rahane the captain,” Kaif said in the same video.

Venkatesh Iyer scored just 142 runs in seven innings (11 matches) at a strike rate of 139.21, including a half-century in IPL 2025. Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane and company finished eighth in the points table, managing only five wins in 14 games, including seven losses.