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Mumbai Indians are once bitten twice shy. With the Indian cricket board deciding its IPL players’ regulations on retention, Mumbai could be the only team who would find it tough to keep their house in order if the BCCI allows retention of their core players. As they work to retain their World Cup-winning players like Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Surya Kumar and Rohit Sharma, what happens if some of their players demand a change of guard?
Rohit, who has led the team to multiple IPL titles and who was forced to play under Hardik, wasn’t a happy man last year. He was hurt because the management didn’t inform him about the decision to change the leadership. Sources said that Rohit even told his close circles that he would have played under anyone’s captaincy other than Hardik. Indeed, some rivalry! Later, this decision hurt them so much that Mumbai were nowhere in the competition last year.
So, the big question is if Rohit is retained by Mumbai, which the promoters want also, what will they do if he asks for Surya to take over the captaincy from Hardik? It could create a complex dynamic within the team. Surya, known for his calm demeanour and tactical acumen, might be seen as a more suitable successor by Rohit, given their close rapport and Surya’s understanding of Mumbai Indians’ culture. It is also pertinent to note that Surya is also India’s T20 captain and has the vote of all his teammates, especially ones from Mumbai.
What could Mumbai Indians do then? Convincing Hardik to play under Surya, especially after leading Gujarat Titans to an IPL title and captaining India in T20Is, might be a challenging task. Does it mean that Mumbai will have to let go Hardik? With Rohit also becoming quite powerful following his T20 World Cup and his proximity with BCCI secretary Jay Shah, it won’t be easy to overlook Rohit’s point of view if Mumbai are keen to retain him.
With so much investment made on Hardik, will the Mumbai Indians’ management vote for Surya. With the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit in favour of Surya, the equation as it appears is completely against Hardik. Does it leave Hardik to opt for another team in the IPL, wherein, he can captain the side like he did for Gujarat Titans. Or will Rohit and Surya along with Bumrah be ready to play under Hardik? Really, the Mumbai team management has some tasks to do!
