Rohit Sharma requested a pay cut to allow Jasprit Bumrah to become highest-paid MI player in IPL 2025: Harsha Bhogle

Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle recently revealed how Rohit Sharma's heartwarming gesture helped Jasprit Bumrah become the highest-paid player for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025. The talismanic seamer continues to earn the biggest pay cheque for the five-time champions. However, he hasn't been able to live up to his expectations this season, going wicketless in five straight games.

While talking about Bumrah's importance, Bhogle shared how Rohit requested a pay cut ahead of the IPL 2025 retentions

to make the veteran speedster the highest-earning player for the five-time champions, which was a token of appreciation from the legendary batter, acknowledging his contributions.

"One other interesting thing that happened when they were doing their retentions. Now, how do you decide? You've got Rohit Sharma, you've got Hardik Pandya, you've got Jasprit Bumrah, you've got Suryakumar Yadav. Who goes into which category?" Harsha Bhogle said during an interaction on Cricbuzz.

"And they said, 'We'd pay all four the same. And I think it was Rohit who said, 'No, I think Bumrah deserves more.' So, if you see the retention value, even if it's nominal, Bumrah's the highest, SKY and Hardik are same, and Rohit said, 'I'll take the drop'. He showed that Bumrah that this is your status in Indian cricket at the moment. Bumrah is the most important player in world cricket," he concluded.

Harsha Bhogle said that when Mumbai Indians were finalizing retentions, they initially planned equal pay for four players.

But Rohit Sharma chose to take a pay cut so Jasprit Bumrah could be paid more, acknowledging his importance to Indian cricket. pic.twitter.com/kyZi7DvjbV

— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) April 18, 2026

Mumbai Indians are in a spot of bother, having lost four out of their five games this season. Their only win came in their first game, which was against the Kolkata Knight Riders at home. They will return to action on Monday, April 20, when they face the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.