After the recovery Hardik Pandya of the Gujarat Titans ahead of the current season, the MI management decided to hand over the team’s ability to the all-rounder, taking it away from their five-time IPL-winning skipper. Rohit Sharma.
Also see: Full Schedule of IPL 2024This led to a lot of backlash from MI fans, while several pundits expressed their opinions on the matter, the latest being that of player-turned-politician Sidhu.
“I played in an Indian team where five captains played together. Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Krishnamahari Srikkanth and Ravi Shastri. Take a brick and you will find a captain above and below. There was no captain. problems because they were playing for their nation. The motivation was to play for your country. So playing under Hardik doesn’t make Rohit any smaller,” Sidhu said on a Star Sports show.
Interestingly, two of the most successful IPL teams – with five titles each – have passed the captaincy baton this season.
MS Dhoni has relinquished the Chennai Super Kings captaincy and handed over the managerial reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad, while Hardik is now at the helm in place of Rohit at MI.
“Dhoni has already handed over the baton and that could have happened to Mumbai Indians too… They (MI) gave him three years (after 2020) and when that didn’t work (in producing another title), they have got a new person for the job. You have to accept it,” Sidhu said.
“But Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are great players. A dwarf is a dwarf even if he stands on top of a mountain and a God is a God even if he stands at the bottom of a well.”
CSK have won both their matches so far in IPL 2024, while MI suffered a defeat against Gujarat Titans in their first match of the campaign.