3 reasons why Suryakumar Yadav could've been a better captaincy option for Mumbai Indians than Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya has been named as Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper for IPL 2024. The all-rounder will replace Rohit Sharma as the leader of a star-studded MI team.
MI under Rohit Sharma were a force to reckon with. The franchise won five out of the eight IPL seasons from 2013 to 2020 under the able guidance and leadership of Sharma.
Hardik Pandya, who represented Gujarat Titans in the last couple of IPL seaons, was traded for cash to Mumbai Indians and subsequently named the skipper of the team for the upcoming IPL season.
Pandya's appointment as skipper came as a surprise to many as fans would have expected Suryakumar Yadav to be the future MI skipper post Sharma calling it a day. Here is a look at three reasons why Yadav could have been a better bet than Pandya to captain the MI team:
#1 Suryakumar Yadav has been an intergral part of the MI squad
SKY has been a key figure in the MI team since 2018. Over the past six IPL seasons, he has gone from strength to strength and is their most dependable batsman in the middle order. He was one of the players retained by MI before the mega auction in 2022.
Pandya, on the other hand, was a part of the Gujarat Titans squad for the last two IPL seasons and tasted success with the said team. After two years, he is back in MI colours.
Over the past couple of years, there have been radical changes in the MI squad and Yadav has been a part of the MI dressing room and knows all players (domestic as well as overseas) in and out, and could have been the automatic choice as skipper post Rohit Sharma.
#2 Suryakumar Yadav's current batting form and impressive captaincy stint for India
SKY has been in the form of his life in T20s for the past couple of years. He is currently the number one-ranked batsman in T20Is.
In 2023, he has scored two T20I centuries and averages a healthy 48.87 with an astounding stike rate of almost 156. He has scored runs in all conditions and is a force to reckon with in T20 cricket.
Yadav was named the skipper of the Indian T20I team the home series against Australia and the away series against South Africa. Yadav has a cool head over his shoulders and has tasted success in five of the eight matches he has captained, with one match having no result. As a captain, he has been proactive on the field and his bowling changes have been spot on.
Considering his current batting form and his success in the shortest format, SKY would have been an ideal candidate for captaining the MI team.
#3 Fitness of Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya has battled through injuries right through his career. An ankle injury had also led to his premature exit from the 2023 World Cup.
He is expected to make a comeback in IPL 2024 post the said injury and would be missing a substantial part of international cricket.
Being a captain would bring in additional responsibilities for Pandya and he would be expected to play every game for his franchise. In addition, being an all-rounder, he would be expected to bowl in every game apart from his captaincy responsibilities.
The T20 World Cup 2024 will start no sooner the IPL 2024 concludes and India would want a fully-fit Pandya to take the field during the mega event.