IPL Auction 2025: Suryakumar Yadav demands Mumbai Indians' captaincy; Hardik Pandya in limbo
Published - 02 Nov 2024, 10:38 AM | Updated - 02 Nov 2024, 11:35 PM
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Suryakumar Yadav has reportedly explored the future plans Mumbai Indians (MI) have in store for him as he eyes a potential leadership role within the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Following his appointment as India's T20I captain after the T20 World Cup 2024, Suryakumar has made his ambition clear to eventually lead Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL in the future.
Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy ambitions are clear but Mumbai Indians (MI) reaffirm support for Hardik Pandya
According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Suryakumar Yadav made it clear to the five-time IPL champions that he is very keen on leading the side in the cash-rich league at some point. However, the Mumbai Indians (MI) turned down his demand while reaffirming their backing to captain Hardik Pandya.
The franchise management has reportedly told Suryakumar Yadav that Hardik Pandya, who replaced Rohit Sharma ahead of the IPL 2024 season, is set to continue leading the MI for the foreseeable future.
In an extensive discussion between Suryakumar and the MI management, the franchise reportedly asked if he had any preferences or conditions for his retention before re-signing him.
However, Suryakumar Yadav expressed his desire to stay on with the Mumbai Indians (MI), but he has emphasized his long-term goals, including his interest in the captaincy, in the meeting on October 4.
Suryakumar Yadav decided to stay without any promise from MI
Well, the franchise didn’t promise anything to Suryakumar over his captaincy demand, as when Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as captain, they planned to continue with the all-rounder at least for the foreseeable future in the IPL.
Meanwhile, the MI also engaged with senior players, including Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, about the future team structure. It is being said that the senior players, including Suryakumar, were told by the team management that Hardik would continue to lead the side and that his captaincy wouldn’t be assessed solely based on last season’s challenges.
Read Also: IPL Auction 2025: Rohit Sharma’s unselfish act helps Mumbai Indians retain 'Big 4'
All felt that creating the right atmosphere could bring the best out of Hardik Pandya as captain and lead to success for the team in the tournament. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah emerged as a unanimous choice among Rohit, Hardik, and Suryakumar to hold the top retention slot.
In a surprising move, Rohit also expressed his willingness to be the fourth retention, as he was retired from T20I cricket. During recent meetings, they agreed that without clear communication to fans about the franchise's direction, there was a real risk of losing their support.
We need to control things on the field and then off the field stuff: Mahela Jayawardene
However, Suryakumar Yadav is determined to uplift the team's morale and connect with fans, saying he would take charge of setting a positive atmosphere for everyone. He said in one of the meetings, “Main mahaul banaunga [I will create the atmosphere].”
MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene said on the discussions about the next season: “It's about learnings for us, understanding what went right, what went wrong. We need to learn from that and that was part of the discussions that we had. We need to control things on the field and then off-the-field stuff will be handled quite easily. I think with it, it was tough for us to perform on the field, and everyone acknowledged that you know, we underperformed as a group.”
