Is An MI Star Moving To CSK?

'There are some potential talks which is going on and which is definitely authentic.'
'But it all depends on the two franchises to come up with a conclusion and allow the players to move for their own betterment.'

Desperate to turn around their fortunes after three barren years, Mumbai Indians went in for a major reshuffle ahead of IPL 2024.

In a significant leadership change, Mumbai Indians brought back Hardik Pandya in a mega transfer deal from Gujarat Titans for Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million) and appointed him as the captain for IPL 2024 to replace their most successful and long-term skipper Rohit Sharma.

MI's shocking move has come under fire from the fans who can't believe a captain as successful as Rohit could be done away with so easily.

Prasanna Agoram, one of the world's top sports analysts who has worked with several IPL teams in the past, believes that MI could have given Rohit another year as the captain which could have also given Hardik time to get a grip of things.

"Probably what they could have done is they could have appointed Hardik Pandya as the vice-captain this year and got him as the captain next year because he was not part of Mumbai Indians for the past two years," Prasanna Agoram tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian in the final part of an exclusive multi-part interview.

• Part 1: IPL Auction: Why Fast Bowlers Fetched Huge Prices
• Part 2: 'Dhoni may play another IPL season'

Having seen all the team line-ups after the auction do you see a new winner this time around? RCB, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Kings are yet to win the IPL...

If you see Lucknow Super Giants make it to successive play-offs in their first two seasons and they have made some good additions to their squad in the auction, so they will definitely be a force.

I don't think Punjab Kings really strengthened their squad by getting the right picks. Delhi Capitals also, I think they don't have a solid balance.

RCB have a power-packed batting line-up, but their bowling really worries me.

So out of RCB, Delhi, Punjab and Lucknow, I feel Lucknow will definitely be a force, but I don't know if they got the wheels to go all the way and win the IPL.

Replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya seems to have put a lot of pressure on MI from their fans, who are clearly unhappy with the move. What do you think of the move?

Rohit Sharma is not getting any younger. He has won five IPL titles for Mumbai Indians and he has been a phenomenal captain not only in the IPL but also for the Indian team. But there is something called the age factor. He is 37 and you never know how long he is going to play.

Probably what they could have done is they could have appointed Hardik Pandya as the vice-captain this year and got him as the captain next year because he was not part of Mumbai Indians for the past two years and there have been lot of new players coming into the team during that time.

Had Hardik stayed with MI without going to Gujarat Titans, knowing all the players in the squad for the last two years, understanding their roles, their game, knowing them personally it would have been easier for him.

But having said that he has led Gujarat Titans superbly well, leading them to the IPL title in their first season and in their second season they lost in the final off the last ball of the match.

He also led India in a few T20 Internationals where his captaincy skills were impressive. He is coming back after a gap and I am sure that he will have support of the senior players. It won't be a problem for him because it is all about man management which for someone who has captained an IPL team for two years and also the Indian team won't be a problem.

There are always fans who are going to support the decisions made by the team and there will be others who will oppose those decisions. You can't expect all the fans to follow the same line.

There are some die-hard fans who love Rohit Sharma individually as well so it is difficult for them to digest that Rohit is no longer the captain particularly after doing a good job as the skipper in the ODI World Cup recently.

It will take some time and the moment Hardik takes over and MI get back to winning ways, I am sure the fans will forget all this and get behind the team all over again. The uproar is going to be there initially, but once the IPL starts and the team starts doing well everything will get settled down.

Do you see any major deals happening after the IPL auction? You indicated on X about a potential trade about an 'experienced Indian player from blue to yellow jersey'.

The trade window opened a day after the auction and the trade window will also be open during the tournament, that is what the rules say.

There are some potential talks which is going on and which is definitely authentic. But it all depends on the two franchises to come up with a conclusion and allow the players to move for their own betterment.

This is something between the two teams whether they are happy with the trade now, particularly after getting their players in the auction. If they feel the team is okay and well settled they might not feel the need to trade their players.

There were talks going on about trading some big players, but I am not sure how it has materialised after the auction. But you never know it might happen.