Aakash Chopra predicts Rohit Sharma's dominance in IPL 2024 post captaincy ouster

Former India National Cricket Team batter Aakash Chopra has predicted that the former Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma will rule the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 with his batting performances.

Rohit will be entering the marquee tournament with the captaincy burden off his shoulders. He has been replaced as the captain by all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was traded in by the 5-time champions in an all-cash deal.

Rohit Sharma is the joint-most successful captain in the history of the league and his sacking as captain didn’t go well with the fans, who slammed the franchise for their move. He led Mumbai Indians (MI) to 5 titles since taking over as captain in 2013.

Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra in a video shared on his official YouTube channel said that Rohit could have his second-ever season of 500 runs in the IPL and help Mumbai Indians (MI) lift the IPL 2024 trophy.

“Rohit Sharma is one of those players that you expect to score over 500 runs in a season. However, he has scored over 500 runs just once in his IPL career. Maybe this will be his year. He is no longer the captain of Mumbai Indians, which could bring out the best of Rohit Sharma the batter. He could be one of the reasons for Mumbai Indians winning the title,” said Chopra on his official YouTube channel.

It might come as a surprise to many, but Rohit Sharma has scored 500 or more runs only in one season in his illustrious IPL career. In 2013, he played 19 matches and slammed 538 runs at an average of 38.42 and a strike rate of 131.54.

Passion brings aggression. And this team, especially Kishan, will have that passion – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra further said that the wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan would be hungry to deliver with the bat after his central contract snub.

“Ishan Kishan would be raring to go, having not played cricket for a long time and IPL will open doors for him to play more. Hunger can be the biggest driving force. Passion brings aggression. And this team, especially Kishan, will have that passion,” Chopra added.

Notably, Ishan Kishan asked for a break from cricket due to mental fatigue during the South Africa tour in December 2023. After that, the BCCI asked him to participate in domestic cricket but he ignored the directives, which resulted in the governing body punishing him.

Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra has also reckoned that the Mumbai Indians (MI) have an exceptionally strong Indian contingent, and due to this reason they will enter the IPL 2024 as one of the favorites to win the trophy.

“Most teams that go on to win the IPL have a solid Indian core. We have seen that teams that are overdependent on their foreign players eventually end up faltering.

“When you look at the Mumbai players, there’s a wealth of experience in their Indian core with seven players having India caps. Normally the Indian core is a weakness with teams but not with MI and that’s why I feel they can win IPL 2024.”

Mumbai Indians (MI) will open their IPL 2024 campaign against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday, March 24, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.