Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed speculation that IPL 2027 could be Rohit Sharma’s final season in the tournament. With the upcoming edition marking the final year of the current three-year mega-auction cycle, questions have emerged over whether the Mumbai Indians (MI) veteran will retire from the league at the age of 40. However, Ashwin believes it is too early to make predictions about Rohit’s IPL future. He cited former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni as an example, pointing out that similar retirement discussions have surrounded the legendary wicketkeeper for several seasons.

Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in 2020, continues to feature in the IPL at 45, demonstrating that age alone does not determine a player’s future in the tournament. Speaking about Rohit’s prospects on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin said: “We don’t know if he’s (Rohit) going to play only one more year or longer. The same has been said about Dhoni, and he has ended up playing for many years and will likely return as a player again next season.”

Ashwin also mentioned Naman Dhir as a potential captaincy option for the future, praising the young batter’s composure and clarity of thought. 

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Rohit remains one of the most successful batters in IPL history, ranking second on the all-time run-scoring list with 7,329 runs in 281 matches. He also continues to be an important member of India’s ODI setup, making his future plans a significant talking point among cricket fans.

Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin has made a bold prediction regarding Hardik Pandya’s future with Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2027. He believes the franchise could trade the all-rounder following a disappointing run of results and growing speculation about potential squad changes. Hardik remains an MI player for now, but rumours surrounding his future have intensified following the 2026 season. The franchise has missed the playoffs in two of the three seasons under his leadership from 2024 to 2026 and finished ninth in the latest edition.

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Ravichandran Ashwin suggested that Mumbai could explore a trade involving an overseas leg-spinner or an Indian left-arm fast bowler from Punjab Kings. “It’s almost certain that he (Hardik) won’t be with MI unless they try to retain him at the last moment. But I do believe he’ll be traded. MI might look for a leg-spinner in the trade, and there were even talks of MI targeting an Indian left-arm pacer from PBKS for Hardik,” Ashwin said.

While these remain Ashwin’s predictions rather than confirmed developments, the potential futures of Rohit and Hardik are likely to attract considerable attention as Mumbai Indians prepare for the next IPL season.