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Since Hardik Pandya came back to Mumbai Indians (MI) and took over the reins from five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winning captain Rohit Sharma, the franchise has been embroiled in controversies. Hardik faced the wrath of MI fans on social media and in the stadium as he got booed at Wankhede Stadium as well.
While fans have speculated that this might be Rohit’s last season with the franchise, former England skipper Michael Vaughan feels that he will find his home at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and replace legendary MS Dhoni to become the potential face for the franchise. He believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad is not a long-term choice as captain for CSK.
“Will he (Rohit Sharma) go to Chennai? Replace Dhoni? Gaikwad is doing it (the captaincy) this year, and it might be just (an act of) holding position for Rohit next year,” Vaughan said on BeerBiceps podcast.
On being asked whether other franchises will be interested in Rohit’s services and try to rope him in the mega auction, Vaughan replied, “I think that the franchises that have never had stability are going to go for him SRH, Punjab Kings… I’d argue Kolkata they’ve not had that charismatic type captain like Gambhir, they look fantastic, I think they’re going to make the top four but for the next phase may be Rohit one of those pillows”.
Rohit is the most successful captain in IPL history alongside Dhoni. He has also won another IPL title with now-defunct Deccan Chargers as a player. Rohit has led MI in 158 games and won 87 of them. He has a win percentage of 55.06, just below Dhoni.
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MI under Hardik’s captaincy
MI under their new captain Hardik Pandya have got mixed results. MI lost their first three matches and then won the next two matches. MI registered their first win of the season against Delhi Capitals (DC) beating them by 29 runs and then secured a one-sided victory against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). They are placed seventh on the points table. MI will be go up against CSK on April 14 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
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