MI vs LSG: Rohit Sharma's last match for Mumbai Indians or there will be a change in script?

Mumbai Indians' tumultuous IPL 2024 campaign will conclude today at the Wankhede Stadium. In what is going to be the final match of the season for both the teams, Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants would be expected to present a spectacle on their way out. As MI underwent a huge transition in leadership ahead of the season, the MI vs LSG match is asserted to be the final chapter of the immense season-long Hardik Pandya-Rohit Sharma saga. The match is speculated to be Rohit's final as an MI player. 

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Forgettable season for Hardik Pandya and Mumbai Indians

It was a kind of season for Mumbai Indians where the off-pitch rumblings made more headlines than their performance on the ground. First, it was Hardik Pandya's appointment as the new captain of the team, replacing Rohit Sharma, that pulled all the eyeballs. Then, it was fans' reproach toward their new leader that made it to the mainstream. Moreover, given everything was witnessed with a telescopic vision, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma's demeanor in the field further pushed incessant reports that everything was not well in the Mumbai camp. Mumbai Indians' on-field play also could not overshadow the outside noise, and as it transpired the 5-time champions became the first team to crash out of IPL 2024 playoff race. 

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Will the match against LSG be Rohit Sharma's last with MI?

Since it is the season before the mega auction, speculations are rife that Mumbai Indians may not retain Rohit Sharma again and hence the social media space is filled with assumptions about the MI vs LSG game being Rohit Sharma's last in the MI outfit.

Rohit Sharma has been the talisman of Mumbai Indians for over a decade now. Under his captaincy, the team soared above all the other competitors, winning five IPL titles in the process. If the Mumbai Indians vs Lucknow Super Giants match is set to be his last with MI, then surely it is going to be marked as the end of an era for Mumbai Indians. With Hardik Pandya at the helm, the management might be focused on building a team around him, and Rohit Sharma may not be in the vision. Thus, taking the case possible, the MI vs LSG match could go down in history as Rohit Sharma's last for Mumbai Indians. 

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Rohit Sharma's legacy would be untouched

However, until anything is official, everything is a presumption, and it would be superfluous to try and gauge anything. Considering the cult following Rohit Sharma represents among MI fans, the decision-makers can put all the concerns aside and render Rohit Sharma an extension. The follow-up of IPL 2024 or the period before the start of IPL 2025 could put clarity on the opaqueness.

Irrespective of whatever happens, Rohit Sharma's name is etched in Mumbai Indians' glory cabinet, and it would be hard to better the legacy he has left behind as the captain of Mumbai Indians.