Hardik Pandya has been selected Mumbai Indians (MI) captain for the IPL 2024 season. The all-rounder will take over as captain of a star-studded MI squad, succeeding Rohit Sharma.
MI was a formidable team under Rohit Sharma. Sharma led the team to victory in five of the eight IPL seasons from 2013 to 2020 with skill and leadership.
Hardik Pandya, who played for Gujarat Titans in the previous two IPL seasons, was moved for cash to Mumbai Indians and was later chosen the team’s captain for the 2017 IPL season.
Many supporters anticipated Suryakumar Yadav to be the next MI captain after Sharma retired, hence Pandya’s nomination as skipper came as a surprise. Here are three reasons why Suryakumar Yadav could have been a better choice to captain the MI squad than Pandya:
1. Suryakumar Yadav became a key player for Mumbai Indians
Since 2018, SKY has played an important role in the MI team. He has improved steadily over the last six IPL seasons and is now their most consistent batter in the middle order. He was one of the players retained by MI before to the 2022 mega auction.
Pandya, on the other side, played for the Gujarat Titans for the previous two Indian Premier League seasons and saw success there. Two years later, he is back wearing MI colors.
There have been drastic changes in the MI team over the last couple of years, and Suryakumar Yadav has been a member of the MI dressing room and knows all players (local and abroad) inside and out, and might have been the natural option as skipper after Rohit Sharma.
2. Suryakumar Yadav is leading India with his bat and captaincy skills
For the past couple of years, SKY has been in top form in T20s. He is now the top-ranked batsman in Twenty20 Internationals.
In 2023, he has two T20I centuries and an average of 48.87 with an incredible stike rate of around 156. He has scored runs in all conditions and is a T20 force to be reckoned with.
Suryakumar Yadav was selected Indian T20I captain for the home series against Australia and the away series against South Africa. Yadav has a level head and has had success in five of the eight matches he has captained, with one match ending in a tie. He has been an aggressive captain on the field, and his bowling changes have been right on.
Given his current batting form and performance in the shortest format, SKY would have been an excellent choice to skipper the MI squad.
3. Fitness of Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. An ankle issue has also forced him to withdraw from the 2023 World Cup.
With the aforementioned injuries, he is anticipated to return in the IPL in 2024 and will miss a significant amount of international cricket.
Hardik Pandya would have extra obligations as captain, including the expectation that he would represent his team in every game. Apart from his leadership duties, he would also be required to bowl in every game as an all-rounder.
The T20 World Cup 2024 will begin as soon as the IPL 2024 closes, and India would want a fully-fit Pandya to play in the huge tournament.
