Before Rohit Sharma became the face of the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise, the star batter had plied his trade with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The veteran opener was roped in by Deccan Chargers for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League. The star batter was signed for a staggering sum of $750,000 at the auction.
Nicknamed the Hitman, Rohit played under the leadership of legendary Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist for three seasons at Deccan Chargers. Under the leadership of Gilchrist, Rohit-starrer Deccan Chargers (2008-2012) lifted the famous trophy in the 2009 season. The Chargers are the only defunct side to win the IPL title. After a glorious stint with Chargers, Rohit joined Mumbai Indians in 2011 and the rest as they say is history.
Speaking to Star Sports in a preview show of the IPL 2023, Rohit opened up about signing his first-ever lucrative deal ahead of the inaugural IPL season. A young Rohit had plans of buying a swanky car at the time. Rohit was only 20 years old when the star batter joined the Deccan Chargers for INR 4.8 crore (USD 750,000) at the auction.
“Firstly, I didn’t even know how much $750,000 is. A thing like the auction had never happened for us before and nobody even heard of it. My number came very late in the auction, probably after one and half hour. After I was sold, I was told that I was getting $750,000, I think it was 3 to 3.5 crore. But I was really happy and thought about which car should I buy. That was the planning I was doing! I was only 20 years-old at that time,” Rohit said.
{{/usCountry}}“Firstly, I didn’t even know how much $750,000 is. A thing like the auction had never happened for us before and nobody even heard of it. My number came very late in the auction, probably after one and half hour. After I was sold, I was told that I was getting $750,000, I think it was 3 to 3.5 crore. But I was really happy and thought about which car should I buy. That was the planning I was doing! I was only 20 years-old at that time,” Rohit said.
{{/usCountry}}Rohit was Deccan Chargers’ second-highest run-getter in the IPL. India's all-format captain also bagged a famous hat trick against Mumbai Indians in the 2009 season of the cash-rich league. The senior batter was later bought by Mumbai Indians for a whopping sum of INR 13 crore in 2011. Rohit became the most successful captain in the history of the cash-rich league at Mumbai Indians.
The veteran Indian opener has guided MI to five IPL crowns. Under the leadership of the Hitman, Mumbai have won IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. The 35-year-old has smashed 5,879 runs in 227 IPL matches. Rohit has slammed a ton and 40 half-centuries in his glittering IPL career.