Will Rohit Sharma Retire After IPL 2025? Latest Updates!

There’s a common saying that “Age is just a number”. However, the human body doesn’t necessarily always follow the saying as numerous sportspeople are left with no options but to draw curtains on their careers after a certain period. This is generally due to their minimising physical abilities, mental issues, or others. 

Retirement is a common term that has revolved around the Indian cricketers from time to time with players aging. Recently, the sights were set on Indian captain Rohit Sharma who’s set to turn 38 on April 30, 2025. However, a match-winning knock in the grand finale against New Zealand to win the Player of the Match and lead his nation to their third Champions Trophy title seemed to have shrugged off those thoughts. 

Having retired from T20Is after ending India’s eleven-year ICC trophy drought by winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, a retirement after the Champions Trophy win was practically possible. But no such announcement was made in the aftermath of the Champions Trophy victory night and fans around the globe would be eager to know what the future holds for the Indian captain.

Rohit’s IPL 2024 Performance 

Despite being one of the white-ball greats from the peninsular nation, Rohit Sharma hasn’t been a go-to name in the IPL XI of popular organisations. His numbers in the IPL don’t quite reflect the calibre he has. On a similar note, the IPL 2024 was decent for the Mumbaikar, who scored 417 runs from 14 innings at an average of 32.07. Barring a century, a half-ton, and a couple of mid-forties, and thirties, he didn’t quite impress with the bat at the top of the order. 

Rohit’s best score in IPL 2024 was 105* that came mid-season against the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. However, he could surpass the 20-run mark only twice in the next eight games with 68 against the Lucknow Super Giants in their last game of the league stages. With the franchise captaincy duties freed, the ‘Hitman’ of India would be looking to make it big in the upcoming season.

Rohit’s recent performance

The Indian captain had a torrid season with the willow in the red-ball format. He scored only 42 runs against Bangladesh across four innings during the two-match Test series. The woes deepened as New Zealand arrived in the Indian shores for a three-match Test series where Rohit gathered 91 runs across six innings. Although he scored 52 off 89 balls in the second innings of the Bengaluru Test, the overall numbers don’t look good. It is also the same series where the Men in Blue were whitewashed for the first time at home in a three or more match affair.

This was just the start of Rohit’s dip in form as it further deteriorated as India toured down under for a five-match Test series. After missing the first Test in Perth due to the birth of his second child, the 37-year-old returned to the side as a captain and failed to lead from the front. Having scored a paltry 31 runs from five innings, Rohit decided to drop himself for the final Test with the series score aligned 2-1 in favour of the Aussies. However, it didn’t stop the hosts from thrashing the Men in Blue 3-1 and regaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy after ten years.

Undoubtedly, the media criticised the captain’s form for the embarrassing losses and forced him to retire. But the cricket gods had other plans destined for the Indian captain, who regained his form with a 119 off 142 balls against England in the second ODI of a three-match series – in the lead up to the Champions Trophy 2025. 

Rohit initiated the mega-event with a selfless 41 against Bangladesh, followed by 20, 15, and 28 in the next three games. Heading to the big finale against the Black Caps, Rohit’s shilly-shally form with the bat was one of the raising concerns. This is when the Indian captain chose to stand tall for his nation on the grandest of stages. His measured 76 off 102 balls including seven fours and three sixes on a tricky Dubai track that favoured the spinners set the foundation for an Indian triumph. As the Asian giants won their third Champions Trophy title, Rohit was adjudged the Player of the Match for his incredible start that offered the momentum India needed at the start. He also became the first Indian skipper to lead India to back-to-back ICC titles undefeated.

Official Statements on Rohit’s retirement

Notably, Rohit rubbished the retirement rumours during the recently-concluded Champions Trophy in the post-match press conference of the grand finale. He expressed that he would like to continue with his cricket the way it is going and hasn’t thought too far ahead. 

"One more thing. I'm not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumours are spread moving forward,” Rohit expressed during the post-match press conference after India beat New Zealand by four wickets and an over remaining at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, UAE.

The final verdict from the captain should be enough to clear all the hovering speculations on his future. He’s still scoring runs for the team and seems hungry to deliver for the nation despite being at the fag end of his cricketing career. When it comes to fitness, the 37-year-old can run singles and doubles while effecting reflex catches at the slip cordon. He also made several diving stops during the India versus New Zealand Champions Trophy 2025 final while fielding inside the 30-yard circle. With his performance speaking for itself, one can expect Rohit to continue playing at the International level for a couple of years.

Fan Expectations and Reactions

One of the notable facts about Indian cricket is that some players are not just celebrated as cricketers but worshipped as deities. The craze for Rohit Sharma is no different. After captaining India to back-to-back ICC titles and ending India’s eleven-year-old ICC trophy drought, Rohit is more like the “People’s Champ” for a 1.4 billion population.

Having shrugged off any retirement plans during the post-match press conference of the Champions Trophy main event, the road to IPL 2025 seems clear. Not only the franchise league but also the road to 2027 World Cup in South Africa seems to be one of Rohit’s wishlists. 

The ODI World Cup has eluded him for a while now. From being omitted from the Cricket World Cup 2011 winning squad to leading the Indian side to the final of the Cricket World Cup 2023, he seems to be reeling towards an unfinished business. India were undefeated in the mega-event before incurring an emotional setback as Australia humbled the hosts in Ahmedabad. One can expect Rohit to continue playing until the Cricket World Cup 2023 where we might see him aim to hit the final nail in the coffin by targeting the World Cup that eluded him the most.