Hardik Pandya’s appointment as the captain of Mumbai Indians (MI), replacing Rohit Sharma has sent the internet into a frenzy. Twiterrati has been lashing out at the franchise for letting Rohit Sharma go from the captaincy position and the 5-time champions have lost several social media followers as well.
This is essentially because Rohit Sharma has been one of the most revered and legendary captains in the IPL. He has marshalled the troops of Mumbai Indians to 5 titles and those prestigious trophies came in IPL 2013, IPL 2015, IPL 2017, IPL 2019 and IPL 2020.
Hardik Pandya will now have his task cut out. He will not settle for anything below excellence and has to power Mumbai Indians to a title in IPL 2024.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why Hardik Pandya can be a good captain of Mumbai Indians in the IPL:
1. Was an astute leader of Gujarat Titans
Before being associated with Mumbai Indians once again, Hardik Pandya was plying his trade for Gujarat Titans (GT). He led the new franchise in 2 seasons and has played in 2 finals. In IPL 2022, during the maiden season of Gujarat in this cash-rich league, Hardik Pandya had won them the title.
In the previous season (IPL 2023), Hardik Pandya had made Gujarat qualify for the finals, before losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). His incredible record in IPL as a captain will inject a lot of confidence into Mumbai Indians.
2. Knows the players inside-out
Hardik Pandya, before playing for Gujarat Titans, was a part of Mumbai Indians. He had a perfect rags-to-riches story at Mumbai Indians and has been an integral part of the franchise.
Pandya shares a close and cordial bond with the MI team management including the owners and would be looking to build on their trust and simultaneously repose their faith and ambitions.
He has previously played with players like Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah in MI and will be looking to win the title for the 6th time.
3. Captains India in the shortest format in international cricket
Hardik Pandya has been leading the T20I side of Team India post the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 and has been delivering the goods at the helm. He has been an inspirational leader and has an impressive win percentage of 77.27 in T20Is.
Out of the 11 matches he has been the skipper in, Hardik Pandya has won 8 matches. Him being the captain of Mumbai Indians is a masterstroke and he could well be the architect behind MI’s 6th IPL trophy.
Also read: 3 Reasons Why Rinku Singh Is A Gem In India’s Middle-Order
