NEW DELHI: Hardik Pandya is set to lead Mumbai Indians, replacing their five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy-winning captain Rohit Sharma in the 2024 season. Last November, Pandya made a return to Mumbai Indians, his former team, through a trade with Gujarat Titans (GT).
The star all-rounder spent two seasons - 2022 and 2023 - with Gujarat Titans, guiding them to their inaugural title win in their debut season (in 2022).
South Africa's legendary cricketer AB de Villiers, who played 184 IPL games in his career, scoring over 5000 runs at an average of 39.71, including three centuries and 40 fifties, feels Mumbai Indians seemed to have moved on from the 'new captaincy' debate.
De Villiers also feels that the star-studded Mumbai Indians' batting line up need to fire in unison in the upcoming tournament in the quest of the sixth IPL title.
1/10:Teams to have never won IPL despite playing all 16 seasons
Getty Images
2/10:Royal Challengers Bangalore
<p>Throughout IPL history, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have relentlessly pursued their maiden title, facing heartbreak despite immense talent and determination.</p>Getty Images
3/10:RCB's Quest for a Balanced Squad
<p>RCB, a popular IPL franchise, struggle with challenges such as a weak bowling lineup, insufficient quality all-rounders, and the absence of a top-class spin bowler, hindering their quest for a balanced squad.</p>Getty Images
4/10:RCB's Struggle
<p>Key factors in RCB's struggle include a consistently weak bowling lineup, insufficient quality all-rounders, reliance on Yuzvendra Chahal for spin, inconsistency in the opening pair, weakness in defending scores, and heavy reliance on a few key players.</p>Getty Images
5/10:Punjab Kings
<p>Punjab Kings, formerly Kings XI Punjab, faces inconsistency, starting strong but struggling to sustain momentum, with poor team selection and a lack of quality spinners hindering their IPL success.</p>Getty Images
6/10:Reasons Behind Failure
<p>Punjab Kings' inability to secure an IPL title is attributed to inconsistent performances, questionable team selection, and a persistent lack of quality spinners affecting their overall bowling performance.</p>Getty Images
7/10:Bright future ahead
<p>While the Punjab-based franchise has faced repeated disappointments, fueled by fan passion and the desire to script their own success stories, the path to IPL glory lies within their grasp.</p>Getty Images
8/10:Delhi Capitals
<p>Delhi Capitals, formerly Delhi Daredevils, grapple with challenges in finding a stable opening pair and has shown improvement under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy, with a shortage of quality all-rounders affecting their balance.</p>Getty Images
9/10:Reasons for Not Winning
<p>Delhi Capitals' struggles include the inability to establish a reliable opening pair, past captaincy challenges, and a shortage of quality all-rounders impacting their ability to strike the right balance in the team.</p>Getty Images
10/10:Potential for IPL Title
<p>All three teams, RCB, Punjab Kings, and Delhi Capitals, have the potential to claim an IPL title, provided they address and overcome the challenges that have hindered their success in the past.</p>Getty Images"Incredibly successful team of the IPL. They have won five titles. Big controversy over the last few months was that Hardik Pandya coming in as new captain in place of Rohit Sharma. They seem to be happy though. They seemed to have moved on. It's great to have Hardik Pandya in blue at his home team Mumbai Indians. They will be starting against Gujarat Titans, how ironic is that," De Villiers said on his Youtube channel.
Mumbai Indians will face last year's runners-up Gujarat Titans on March 24 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
De Villiers, who played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in his 184-match IPL career, said Mumbai Indians will get a huge boost with the return of their star and premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the IPL 2023 due to injury.
1/10:IPL 2024: Top 10 highest-paid cricketers from each team
Getty Images
2/10:Mitchell Starc (Kolkata Knight Riders)
<p>Earning a staggering 247.5 million rupees ($2.98m), Mitchell Starc tops the list as the highest-paid cricketer in IPL 2024.</p>Getty Images
3/10:Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
<p>Securing the second spot, Pat Cummins boasts a contract worth 205 million rupees ($2.46m) with Sunrisers Hyderabad.</p>Getty Images
4/10:Sam Curran (Punjab Kings)
<p>Punjab Kings' key player, Sam Curran, stands at the third position, earning an impressive 185 million rupees ($2.22m) for IPL 2024.</p>Getty Images
5/10:Cameron Green (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
<p>Cameron Green, representing Royal Challengers Bangalore, commands a contract worth 175 million rupees ($2.1m) as the fourth-highest earner.</p>Getty Images
6/10:KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants)
<p>Leading Lucknow Super Giants, KL Rahul secures the fifth position with a lucrative deal of 170 million rupees ($2m).</p>Getty Images
7/10:Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings)
<p>Chennai Super Kings' star all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, holds the sixth spot with a contract valued at 160 million rupees ($1.92m).</p>Getty Images
8/10:Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
<p>Mumbai Indians' captain, Rohit Sharma, shares the sixth position with Jadeja, also earning 160 million rupees ($1.92m).</p>Getty Images
9/10:Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals)
<p>Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant of Delhi Capitals matches the earnings of Jadeja and Sharma, standing at 160 million rupees ($1.92m).</p>Getty Images
10/10:Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans)
<p>Gujarat Titans' star spinner, Rashid Khan, secures the ninth spot with a contract worth 150 million rupees ($1.8m) in IPL 2024.</p>Getty Images"Boom Boom Bumrah. I am looking forward to watching him play again. We missed him in the IPL. He is back in full flight. We watched him perform for India in the Test series (vs England). He was simply outstanding. When the heat is on, you want Jasprit Bumrah in your team. He comes through for you 9 out of 10 times. He gets the big wicket of the opposition. And the big reason why Mumbai Indians have been successful over the years and they want to play better than last year," De Villiers said.
"MI have a big point to prove. They have incredibly talented players. We need SKY in form again. We have Dewald Brevis. I hope he gets more game time as well. There is a lot of talent on the side. They just need to find rhythm, especially in the batting order. We need Rohit Sharma in form. Ishan Kishan up the order with SKY and Tilak Varma. Then they have Tim David and Dewald Brevis. That's a very powerful batting line up, if they are in form which they haven't been. so, let's wait and see. I expect them to do well," he said.
Mumbai Indians won their five titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
