Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 champions Mumbai Indians dropped a bombshell on the entire cricket universe when they announced the decision to replace skipper Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder arrived from Gujarat Titans as part of a trade after MI decided to send Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore. But little did fans know that GT's trade was not in the capacity of a player, but also of a “captain.” But what led to this change in leadership role?
Rohit Sharma, a man who led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles in a decade, was replaced by Hardik Pandya, a player who led Gujarat Titans to two consecutive IPL finals, winning one. The move signals a major change in Rohit's situation as his role as India's captain in white-ball teams has also been in question since the conclusion of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
We look at the factors that may have pushed Mumbai Indians to make the change:
Rohit Sharma's form:
While Rohit had an impressive Cricket World Cup, his form for MI in recent years has not been the best. In the 2022 IPL season, he scored 268 runs in 14 matches at an average of 19.14, while in the 2023 season, he scored 332 runs in 16 matches at an average of 20.75.
While it cannot be said that the captaincy took its toll on Rohit's performance, MI have not made any major changes if they want to challenge for the title again, while at the same time paving the way for the future.
IPL 2025 mega auction:
With just one season to go before the IPL 2025 mega auction kicks off, Mumbai Indians had to plan for the future. Before the last mega auction, the BCCI allowed franchises to retain a maximum of three Indian and two foreign players. Due to the complex situation, they released Hardik, but the franchise does not want to repeat the same mistakes this time.
In all likelihood, MI's Indian retentions would be Suryakumar Yadav (the world's number one T20I batsman), Jasprit Bumrah (arguably the world's best T20 bowler) and skipper Hardik Pandya. While the exact rules for the IPL 2025 auction are not yet known, Rohit seems a strong candidate to be released if only three Indians are allowed to be retained.
Smooth transition:
With Rohit Sharma 36 and still a capable batsman, Mumbai Indians are looking to make the captaincy change at a time when the Hitman can oversee the transition and help Hardik become an even better leader. By making a captaincy change early, MI reduces the risk of finding late solutions to the problem in a scenario where Rohit may no longer be with the team.
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