India and Rajasthan Royals off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have debated Mumbai Indians’ decision to replace Rohit Sharma as captain. MI traded Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans as part of an all-cash deal before appointing him as team captain ahead of the IPL 2024 player auction. Rohit is the most successful captain in IPL history, leading MI to five titles along with MS Dhoni. However, MI’s decision to sack Rohit and bring in Hardik was met with strong opposition from fans.

Ashwin, while avoiding getting into a “right or wrong” debate, said MI’s move shows how desperate they are to regain the IPL crown.

“Buying Hardik Pandya shows their desire for No. 6. A lot of people may have an opinion as to why it is right or wrong, or they may be taking it too easy. I am not going to discuss that. It is a pride item. They Ashwin Said on his YouTube channel: “Play to win. They have gone to the extent of buying players. You can say a lot of things, but when a team makes an acquisition like this, you tend to think a lot more. “

“Think about it, if MI got Rashid Khan from GT instead of Pandya, that would be unthinkable, right? That’s how things happen in the Premier League or other European football. If that’s the case too, Some teams are going to have financial difficulties.” There’s a lot of pressure to compete against these teams, and equality is a question mark. But, nevertheless, as MI do, it looks clear that they will be in contention for sixth spot,” he added.

However, Ashwin went on to praise Hardik, who led GT to the title in their first season of IPL 2022. He said the all-round star was very focused in the midfield game.

“He (Hardik) has always been a combination player, making a few overs and scoring runs when needed. In GT, a lot of the team’s success came from his transformation as a player, focusing on the mid-overs, And leave the final game to the finishers.’ (Rahul) Tewatiya and Rashid Khan,” Ashwin added.