What is the reason behind Rohit's captaincy?

BY A STAFF REPORTER: Just four days before the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction to be held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Tuesday (December 19), Mumbai Indians made a big announcement that Hardik Pandya will lead the team in 2024 instead of Rohit. This will end Rohit's unparalleled legacy of being the joint-most successful captain in the history of the Indian Premier League alongside MS Dhoni. Rohit has won a total of six titles, including the Champions League in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2013, as well as the IPL title in 2020. So, the decision to part ways with Rohit from Mumbai in terms of captaincy is a huge decision that has come as a surprise to many.

There are three reasons behind making Hardik Pandya the captain of Mumbai Indians instead of Rohit Sharma:

1) Hardik Pandya Trade Deal: This was the writing on the wall ever since Hardik Pandya returned to the franchise from Gujarat Titans on an exciting trade deal. The five-time champions apparently put a lot of effort into getting the deal done, which included letting Cameron Green leave the franchise. It was evident that Hardik's comeback was publicised with the ambition to lead the team. Originally, one had to assume that captaincy was a factor in the return of the star all-rounder, as he spent two incredible years leading the Gujarat Titans and could possibly even become India's next white-ball captain.

2) Rohit Sharma's batting form: Rohit Sharma may have been the best batsman in the world for India over the last few years, but this is not true in T20 cricket and especially in the IPL. His return with the bat in the last few years has seen a major decline for MI, scoring just 332 runs in 16 matches (20.75 average) in 2023, 268 runs in 14 matches (19.14 average) in 2022 and 381 runs in 13 matches in 2021 (average 29.30).

The last time Rohit averaged more than 30 in the IPL was in 2016, though his strike rate in the IPL was not more than 140 except in the 2015 season. MI's success as a team and his captaincy have ensured that Rohit's batting form has not done much damage to the franchise, but their failure to lift the trophy in the last three years has ensured that it is no more. With a consistently poor score with the bat for their main opener, it was something that hurt MI's purpose and the team had to plan for the future without Rohit.  In 2024, the Hardik-led side will hope that Rohit can get his best back without the burden of captaincy.

3) A smooth transition: In the end, nothing is permanent in the sport and Rohit is not getting any younger. The Indian skipper is clearly in the latter stages of his career and Mumbai had to walk away from him soon after. This decision in the next mega auction in 2025 will ensure that they are not able to find a new captain, and can complete a smooth transition in 2024 with Hardik leading the team and Rohit helping as a senior player.