It’s going to be a smooth transition – Kris Srikkanth feels Hardik Pandya will lead Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024

With Hardik Pandya set to return to Mumbai Indians, there have been a lot of speculations regarding Rohit Sharma’s future as captain. Pandya had led Gujarat Titans to glory in IPL 2022 and also led the team to the final of the previous season.

However, in a surprising move, the all-rounder is all set to make his come back to Mumbai Indians, from where he had kicked off his IPL journey.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma is the joint-most successful IPL captain as he has led Mumbai Indians to five titles and thus it won’t be easy for the management to sack him as captain.

Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth reckons it will be a smooth transition if Hardik Pandya takes over the captaincy baton from Rohit Sharma.

Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, “No no (not the end for Rohit). It’s about a smooth transition. It happened between Sachin and Rohit. Now it’s time for Rohit to Hardik. It’s going to be a smooth transition.

“At the end of the day, Rohit and Hardik share a wonderful relationship. Obviously, they will make Hardik Pandya the captain. Rohit Sharma will be a key figure and ensure a smooth transition. You need a smooth transition to avoid hiccups in the team.”

Srikkanth gave the example that there was a similar transition when Virat Kohli took over the captaincy reins from MS Dhoni.

“Look at what Dhoni did with India. There was a smooth transition between him and Kohli. It was a fantastic transition. Yes, Dhoni also played under Kohli.

“It will be like Guru-Shishya. Yes, Hardik will be leading the team, Rohit will be there. It will be a smooth transition like Dhoni and Kohli in the Indian team.”

Srikkanth added Hardik Pandya’s addition is a huge boost for Mumbai Indians if the reports are to be believed.

“Yes, it’s a huge surprise. But then, it’s a fantastic addition for Mumbai Indians. MI only made Mumbai Indians. I can’t forget Hardik hitting those sixes against Chennai Super Kings in 2015. Yes, MI needed an all-rounder. When it comes to trading, you might have a lot of questions.

“You might ask ‘why Gujarat Titans are realising their captain?’. Maybe they are looking at it as a business. Yes, it’s a huge surprise because he was their captain when they won the title and reached the final.”