Four months have passed since Mumbai Indians made the surprising announcement of replacing longtime captain Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya. The IPL 2024 auction took place a week later, and now we are midway through this season’s league stage. But Mumbai fans are still searching for answers about the captaincy change, and understandably so.
The unexpected decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians captain has left fans searching for answers. Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa believes there are three perspectives to consider when evaluating the situation: the franchise’s, Pandya’s, and Sharma’s. Mumbai Indians appointed Sharma as captain midway through the 2013 season, removing Ricky Ponting. This move was welcomed by senior players and fans alike.
Sharma has remained captain ever since, continuing to thrive in the role across all formats for club and country. With Sharma still in top form, his removal seems puzzling.
“Mumbai Indians discovered Hardik Pandya through their scouting methods, so he is essentially a product of their system. When they transitioned the captaincy from Ricky Ponting to Rohit Sharma mid-season, the senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, and Ponting fully supported Sharma in taking over the leadership role,” Robin Uthappa said.
Uthappa stated that Rohit was underperforming with the bat over the last three or four years, and since Mumbai Indians had not won a title since 2020, they had to consider making a change.
“Over the past four years, Rohit Sharma’s batting statistics in the IPL have declined, despite his proven talent. While Mumbai Indians won the title in 2020, they have failed to win in the subsequent three seasons. In these last three years, Sharma has scored less than 300 runs. From the franchise’s perspective, there has been a lack of success for Sharma both as a batter and as captain in recent IPL campaigns, even though he has performed well for India,” he added.
Uthappa further stated that Mumbai Indians may have decided to pursue other options instead of after last year’s IPL, but public perception of the opener likely shifted due to his successful performance as both captain and batter in the ODI World Cup.
“After last season, the team probably considered moving on from Rohit Sharma, but his outstanding performance as both player and captain at the ODI World Cup showcased his talent and leadership.
“The original narrative was disrupted, but Mumbai Indians found resolution last year. From their perspective, they have been consistent in their approach, both previously and currently, so it is difficult to fault their reasoning,” he concluded.