Former South Africa cricketer Dale Steyn shared his verdict on the Mumbai Indians handing over the leadership to Hardik Pandya from Rohit Sharma in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He said that whatever is going on inside the team should get sorted ahead of their first game in IPL 17.
Ahead of the IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians made a massive change in their leadership. They took away the captaincy from Rohit Sharma and passed on the baton to Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder was traded to the franchise after being with Gujarat Titans for two years in 2022 and 2023.
This came as a massive surprise to many because Rohit Sharma has been nothing short of exceptional as a leader in the IPL. The senior opener guided Mumbai Indians to the five IPL titles and is one of the main reasons why the franchise is the most successful team in the tournament alongside Chennai Super Kings.
Rohit Sharma took the captaincy of Mumbai Indians in 2013 and in that season itself, he led the team to a title win. He continued his dominance as the franchise won titles in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Apart from this, he also guided the team to one Champions League win as well.
Hardik Pandya on the other hand too has been impressive as a leader in IPL. He won the title in his first season as captain of Gujarat Titans. In the next season, he took the team to the final before facing a disappointing loss against Chennai Super Kings, who won their 5th title in the league.
Dale Steyn admitted that captaincy change in the Mumbai Indians will be challenging for the franchise. He pointed out the return of Hardik Pandya to the team after two years and hoped the team would get all the things ironed out. Speaking to PTI, he explained:
“I think it will be challenging – the whole dynamics of leaving Mumbai and then coming back to Mumbai. I hope they had some sort of a camp a month before the IPL. So, anything that’s bothering anyone kind of gets ironed out before the first game.”
International cricketers know how to put aside their ego – Dale Steyn on Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya
Of late, there have been a lot of reports that have suggested that Hardik Pandya getting the leadership of the team didn’t go well with some senior players in the Mumbai camp. Few of them even shared cryptic posts on social media about the same.
Talking about the same, Dale Steyn said that even though there might be some issues but international players know how to keep their egos aside and work together for the betterment of the team. He added:
“You’ve got big personalities, guys who have done the decision-making before and now in a different role. It might be that little needle that we might not be able to see or hear on TV. But, these international cricketers know how to put aside their ego, and I think Mumbai will be just fine.”
Mumbai Indians have kick-started their training for the IPL 2024. Skipper Hardik Pandya has been putting in the hard yards whereas Rohit Sharma along with Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav are likely to join the squad soon. They will open their campaign against Gujarat Titans on 24th March.
