Mumbai Indians (MI) are facing a significant overhaul ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Struggling at the bottom of the points table in IPL 2024, the team is reportedly considering releasing both Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, as hinted by former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag.
Sehwag believes that based on current form, only two players from the Mumbai Indians squad are likely to be retained, and Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya are not among them. The IPL 2025 mega auctions are scheduled for later this year, giving franchises the liberty to retain players of their choice.
Hardik Pandya, the new captain of MI, has been out of form since the beginning of the season, scoring only 200 runs and taking 11 wickets. Rohit Sharma, despite starting the season with a century, has seen a decline in performance, raising concerns for the Indian team ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“Tell me something. Having Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan in one film won’t guarantee a hit. Will it? You will have to perform, right? You need a good script. Similarly, all these big names will have to come together and perform on the ground. Rohit Sharma scored one century and MI lost. Where are the rest of the performances?” Sehwag commented on Cricbuzz.
Sehwag suggested that Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah are the only certainties for MI’s retention list. Bumrah has been in excellent form, taking 20 wickets and being second in the Purple Cap standings, while Suryakumar Yadav has scored 345 runs, including a century.
Manoj Tiwary, former India batter, echoed Sehwag’s sentiments, suggesting that MI should look at either Bumrah or Suryakumar as their next captain. Tiwary highlighted Bumrah’s captaincy experience with the Indian team and Suryakumar’s leadership in T20I series against Australia and South Africa.
“I am also looking at Bumrah and SKY as the two players who will be retained by Mumbai Indians. No one beyond them, and no foreign players either. Tim David has not lived up to the hype. My advice to the management would be to retain just two players – Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah – and make one of the two captains. I am not keeping Rohit either because, looking at him, it appears he doesn’t want to be retained,” Tiwary added.
This potential shake-up indicates a significant change in strategy for Mumbai Indians as they aim to rebuild and regain their competitive edge in the next IPL season. The IPL 2025 mega auction will be crucial for MI as they look to assemble a new squad capable of performing consistently and reclaiming their status as one of the top teams in the league.
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