Dilhara Fernando believes Hardik Pandya will lead Mumbai Indians after Rohit

Surat: The captaincy puzzle still remains a puzzle in Team India’s white-ball team, however, there seems to be a lot of clarity about Hardik Pandya taking over the reins of Mumbai Indians after the Rohit Sharma era.

Having rejoined the Mumbai Indians team after a two-year stint with Gujarat Titans, where he led the franchise to the IPL title in 2021, Hardik brings with him “leadership” experience. With Mumbai Indians, he was a force to be reckoned with, winning four IPL titles (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020).

Former Sri Lankan bowler Dilhara Fernando believes Hardik should captain Mumbai Indians as he has the “leadership” qualities to lead the team.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Fernando, who was part of the Mumbai Indians IPL franchise between 2008 and 2011, talked about the culture of Mumbai Indians.

“I think Hardik going to MI is a good option because he has leadership qualities, I think he will lead Mumbai Indians after Rohit Sharma,” Fernando said.

“We have always been very competitive, we take every game seriously and the atmosphere in the dressing room was great with the senior players sharing their experiences with the youngsters. During my era, it was a really good experience for me,” he said.

Hardik’s journey with Mumbai Indians started in 2015 and his stellar performances earned him a place in the Indian national team in 2016. He played a key role in Mumbai Indians’ IPL victory, showcasing his ability from 2015 to 2021.

Former West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith, who won the IPL title with Mumbai Indians in 2013, said Mumbai Indians have become “a little” stronger with Hardik’s inclusion ahead of IPL 2024.

“Mumbai Indians have a very good culture, we were confident, we had many good players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik. So it’s good to see him going back. I think it will make them a little bit stronger,” Smith told IANS in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2023 season.

The IPL 2024 auction is scheduled to take place on December 19 in Dubai.

Retained players of Mumbai Indians: Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Dewald Brewis, Ishan Kishan, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Karthikeya Singh, N. Tilak Verma, Nehal Wadhera, Piyush Chawla, Rohit Sharma, Romario Shepherd (T), Shams Mulani, Surya Kumar Yadav, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Hardik Pandya (T).