IPL 2024: R Ashwin Explains Main Reason Behind Mumbai Indians Signing Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya's surprising move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians this year has sparked a lot of controversy with some fans not in support of the move. Long-time skipper Rohit Sharma being stripped off the leadership role after winning 5 titles with the franchise was seen as a risky move for side.
Ravichandran Ashwin, the off-spinner from India and Rajasthan Royals, has shared his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Mumbai Indians' decision to replace Rohit Sharma as captain. Mumbai Indians traded Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal and subsequently appointed him as the franchise's captain before the IPL 2024 players auction. Rohit Sharma, who has led MI to five IPL titles, shares the record for the most successful captain in IPL history alongside MS Dhoni.
"The Hardik Pandya buy shows how hungry they are for number 6. Many people might have opinions about why it is right or wrong, or they might have taken it too easy. I am not going into that. This is a pride project. They play to win. And they've gone to that extent to buy a player. And you can say so many things, but when a team pulls off such a buy, you tend to think more," Ashwin said on his Youtube channel.
However, Mumbai Indians' decision to remove Rohit and bring in Hardik received significant criticism from fans. Ashwin, while avoiding taking sides in the debate, remarked that Mumbai Indians' move indicates their eagerness to reclaim the IPL title.
"Think about it, if MI got Rashid Khan from GT instead of Pandya, It is unthinkable, right? In the EPL or the rest of European football, it happens like this. If this also goes like that, some teams will have the financial strain to match up to those teams, and equality is a question mark. But nevertheless, as MI has done this, it looks pretty clear that they are going for number 6," he added.
Nevertheless, Ashwin commended Hardik Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to victory in their debut IPL season in 2022. He noted that the talented all-rounder exhibited a strong intent during the middle overs of matches.
