"Rohit Sharma will replace MS Dhoni at CSK after IPL 2024" - Michael Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels former Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma will move to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after IPL 2024 to "replace" MS Dhoni. The former English skipper added that Rohit might even take over the team's reins from Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Dhoni stepped down and made way for Gaikwad before CSK's first match of the season in what looked like a smooth transition. In Mumbai, on the other hand, the franchise traded in Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans and made him the captain.
Pandya was booed in both Ahmedabad and Mumbai while Rohit was cheered on, with reports of factionalism inside the dressing room spreading like wildfire.
"I think he (Rohit) will go to Chennai, replace MS Dhoni. Gaikwad is doing it this year. Do you think it's just a holding job? May be Rohit next year?" Vaughan told YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia in a podcast show.
"I see him in Chennai. I see him there. If he were to captain Chennai and came to Mumbai, will he get booed?" he asked.
CSK have had difficulties replacing MS Dhoni before, like when Ravindra Jadeja was made the captain, only for that decision to be reversed as CSK's performances dropped. But Dhoni spoke to Gaikwad about his leadership prospects a couple of years ago and with three wins from five games, the latter has done quite well so far.
"I would have kept Rohit as captain" - Michael Vaughan
Vaughan further said that if it was up to him, he'd have not replaced Rohit as captain in IPL 2024, at least to avoid the extra pressure on Hardik and the awkward situations with the former set to lead India in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
"Hardik is going through a difficult time and it's not his fault. He has been asked to come back to the Mumbai Indians. He has been asked to be the captain. Who is going to say no that? He has just been given a job that pretty much every single cricketer in India would like to do, captain the MI," Vaughan said.
"I personally would have kept Rohit. Hardik coming back to Mumbai is big enough pressure in itself. Rohit, once he had a good World Cup, he is obviously going to captain India in the T20 World Cup. The sensible move would have been Rohit captaining MI and Hardik, in mind, for the next year or year after," he added.
After a slow start, MI have managed to collect a couple of wins in IPL 2024 and are placed seventh in the points table.