Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has weighed in on Mumbai Indians' (MI) decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Hogg believes that the move was the right call, giving Sharma much-needed respite from the pressures of leading multiple teams. He also emphasized that Rohit should remain with MI ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, despite losing the captaincy.

Credits BCCI

In his video, Hogg explained, "Yes, he (Rohit Sharma) should stay with MI. I think Hardik Pandya coming in to captain the team is a good thing because Rohit has been under pressure, captaining all teams for India over the last couple of years. He needed a little bit of space, and I think Mumbai did the right thing by getting Hardik Pandya into the lineup."

Hardik Pandya, who spent his first seven years in the IPL with MI, moved to Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022, where he led the franchise to their maiden IPL title in his debut season as captain and secured a runners-up finish in 2023. However, he made a highly anticipated return to MI ahead of IPL 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma as captain in an all-cash deal,despite the hype surrounding his return, MI endured a disappointing season in 2024, finishing last in the standings.

Hogg further noted the importance of giving Pandya and MI the support they need. "Hardik Pandya is doing well for India, and hopefully next year, as he's going into his second year in a row with Mumbai Indians, the crowd will be a little bit calmer and get behind him because it was quite rude what happened last year. Yes, you've got your favorite players, but there are times when changes have to be made, and Mumbai needed to make that change both for themselves and also for Rohit Sharma's mental state."