Rohit Sharma is set to take his domestic cricket commitment to the next level, and is reportedly keen to play the
knockout stage of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's premier domestic T20 tournament. Despite having announced
his T20I retirement after the T20 World Cup 2024, the 38-year-old batter has reportedly informed the Mumbai Cricket
Association of his desire to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy after the conclusion of India's ongoing ODI series against
South Africa. The knockout stage of the tournament will go on from December 12-18, and will be held in Indore.
"Rohit has expressed his desire to play for Mumbai in the knockouts of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy," said a source in the
Mumbai Cricket Association, according to a report by Times of India.
Active in only the ODI format internationally, Rohit's potential participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy - India's
premier 50-over domestic tournament - has been a topic of big debate and discussion in the cricket fraternity, with the
pressure on the 38-year-old to play in order to maintain form and fitness.
However, while Rohit has reportedly already given his yes to playing the Vijay Hazare trophy, he is seemingly now keen
to also play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
This move from the 38-year-old comes as a surprise given the fact that it has been a year and a half since he announced
his retirement from T20I cricket.
Mumbai have won four out of their five Elite Group A games so far, and their qualification to the knockout stage is
The team is being led by Rohit's former national teammate Shardul Thakur, who is also set to join him in the Mumbai
Indians (MI) dressing room for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
The Mumbai squad also boasts a number of star players like Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz Khan and Ayush Mhatre. India's T20I
captain Suryakumar Yadav has also played in the ongoing tournament, but won't feature in the knockouts due to India's
T20I series against South Africa.
As a result, it will be interesting to see whether Rohit takes up Mumbai's captaincy if he plays the knockouts.