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The five-time IPL champions, Mumbai Indians (MI), suffered a shocking exit from the IPL 2024 playoffs on Wednesday. This marks a major upset in the ongoing tournament.
MI’s fate was sealed after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) thrashed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by a massive 10 wickets with 10.2 overs to spare, chasing a mere 166 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Following this crushing blow, legendary Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram offered his insights into Mumbai’s struggles this season. He pointed to the sudden captaincy change as a key factor behind their dismal performance.
Akram on the Impact of Last-Minute Captaincy Shift:
- Akram believes the late decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain significantly impacted MI.
- He feels the lack of clarity and last-minute change created a disadvantage.
- Ideally, according to Akram, Rohit should have continued as captain with Hardik as his deputy for this season. This would have allowed for a smoother transition next year when Rohit might decide to step down.
Learning Curve for MI:
Despite their early exit, Akram views this as a valuable learning experience for the Mumbai Indians.
Akram’s Quote (Translated):
“Mumbai Indians must be going through a lot as a team. Last minute mein jo captain change huwa hai na Mumbai Indians ka, usse farak toh pada hai. Agar yeh pata hota na ki yeh badal rahe hai aur Rohit khud kahta ki, I just wanna play my cricket and have a rest. India ki captaani bhi chodd di hai toh phir theek hai. Woh India ki kaptani bhi kar raha hai. In my opinion, iss saal Pandya ko vice-captain banate, Rohit kaptani karta aur agle saal Rohit kahta ab bas – I am relaxing, I want to enjoy and I am giving reigns to Pandya. Kissi ko shock nahi hota. That didn’t go down well for Mumbai Indians“
