How Is MI Trying At Their Captaincy Swap Transfer After Disappointing IPL 2024?

5-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) grew to become the primary facet to be knocked out within the IPL 2024 season. The Mumbai-based franchise entered the competitors underneath a brand new skipper, Hardik Pandya, and sadly, the Indian star all-rounder could not replicate his Gujarat Titans success this 12 months at MI. The star-studded Mumbai facet misplaced their ninth recreation of the season in opposition to Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Saturday and are presently reeling on the ninth place on the factors desk with solely 4 wins in 13 video games to date.

The facility-packed batting unit did not glue as much as carry out effectively with the bat in one of the vital explosive seasons this 12 months. The highest order led by veteran Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan has fired solely in bits and items, whereas the center order comprising Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya regarded inconsistent all through the season.

Regardless of Jasprit Bumrah’s stellar performances with the ball, the bowling unit has additionally regarded clueless, leaking runs for many of the match. The spin division consisting of Piyush Chawla, Mohammad Nabi, and Shreyas Gopal did not make a distinction both.

This 12 months, MI had a captaincy change that sparked controversy, with Hardik taking on for Rohit. The franchise’s followers didn’t take it effectively, even booing the all-rounder within the first few video games on the Wankhede Stadium.

The captaincy swap left the group divided and scattered which additionally affected the dressing room environment. Therefore, it led the famend MI facet to their worst-ever IPL season within the match’s historical past.

Properly, the franchises are certain to have a nasty season every so often however let’s focus on what has haunted Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2024 season underneath new skipper Hardik Pandya.

MI’s legacy

As soon as upon a time within the late 2010s, there was a power-packed Mumbai Indians facet that might beat any T20 XI on this planet.

The Mumbai-based franchise grew to become one of many strongest sides underneath skipper Rohit Sharma’s helm and went on to carry the IPL title document 5 occasions – 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.

Other than IPL, Mumbai has additionally clinched the Champions League T20 title twice in 2011 and 2013.

The franchise constructed its core squad round captain Rohit Sharma which comprised the likes of Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock and Trent Boult.

However, for the previous few years, MI has regarded rusty after shedding its core group of gamers because the finish of the 2021 IPL season. They’ve solely made the playoffs as soon as (2023) within the final 4 seasons together with the continued IPL 2024.

Hardik taking on management duties for Rohit

After a few below-par seasons from the group, MI homeowners might need introduced in Hardik Pandya for Rohit Sharma as captain holding the previous’s profitable campaigns at Gujarat Titans in thoughts.

In November 2023, MI traded all-rounder Cameron Inexperienced to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in an all-cash deal by the buying and selling window. This transaction supplied the mandatory funds for MI to finalize one other all-cash cope with Gujarat Titans (GT) to accumulate the companies of Hardik Pandya.

This can be termed as a tactical transfer by the franchise contemplating the group’s future and Rohit edging nearer to the top of his profession.

Even mathematically, Rohit Sharma is without doubt one of the most profitable captains within the IPL historical past with 89 wins in 158 video games for MI, boosting a win share of 56.

In the meantime, Hardik Pandya’s stint as Gujarat Titans’ captain has additionally mesmerized the world because the two-year-old franchise reached the IPL finals in 2022 (champions) and 2023 consecutively.

As GT’s captain, Hardik had gained 22 of the 31 matches he performed for the Ahmedabad-based facet. The star all-rounder boosted an impressive win share of 71 which caught the eyes of MI’s administration.

What’s flawed with Hardik’s captaincy in IPL 2024?

MI underneath Hardik Pandya regarded unsettled of their IPL 2024 opener in opposition to GT the place they failed to finish a simple run chase in Ahmedabad. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah (20 wickets) not one of the Mumbai star gamers have been constant this 12 months.

Even Hardik’s personal performances did not assist this season; having managed solely 200 runs with the bat he’s but to attain a half-century. Whereas the quick bowler in him has in all probability delivered 11 wickets in as many innings.

There may be quite a few elements for the downfall of Mumbai Indians this season however former IPL star batter AB de Villiers reckons Hardik Pandya’s captaincy model as one of many main causes for MI’s collapse.

“The captaincy model of Hardik Pandya is kind of bravado. It is ego-driven in a approach, chest out,” de Villiers mentioned in a current video on his YouTube channel. “I do not suppose how he walks on the sphere is all the time real, however he has determined that’s his approach of captaincy. Nearly like MS (Dhoni). Cool, calm, collective, all the time acquired your chest out. However whenever you play with plenty of skilled gamers, guys who’ve been round for ages… They do not purchase into that. It labored at GT, the place it was a youthful group. Typically, inexperienced gamers like to comply with that sort of management.”

Moreover, the RCB legend shared his private expertise taking part in underneath Graeme Smith within the Nationwide group.

“I bear in mind Graeme Smith. He was on the market for the group. All I wanted to do as a teenager was to comply with. Now there is a Rohit (Sharma), there is a (Jasprit) Bumrah. They go like, ‘All we’d like you to be is calm. Give us a little bit of enter on easy methods to win matches. We do not want the bravado. I am not having a go at Hardik. I like watching him play. I like him placing out his chest as a result of I used to be like that. I believed that as a batter, typically you have to pretend it to make it,” de Villiers added.

As per a report, the senior MI gamers have expressed their views to the teaching workers on the way in which the group is being led and their views on the group’s underwhelming outcomes.

What’s subsequent for MI?

With the top-four spots out of attain, Mumbai Indians will solely play for satisfaction of their remaining league recreation in opposition to Lucknow Tremendous Giants. Whereas there are plenty of learnings and takeaways for the much-important mega-auction forward of their subsequent season in 2025.