Hardik will be challenged on and off the field at Mumbai Indians

When Mumbai Indians pulled off the coup of bringing back Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans during the IPL trading window, their big plan was clear.

It wasn't a surprise that Hardik was named captain for the 2024 season, replacing Rohit Sharma, the most successful leader in the history of the IPL along with MS Dhoni. What was a surprise, though, is how quickly it happened, a mere 20 days after Hardik was unveiled as a Mumbai Indian again.

The question, then, was whether Rohit himself was surprised by the pace of change, just over three months before the 2024 season starts.

It has been learned that Rohit was informed by the franchise about Hardik's impending return immediately after IPL 2023, where Mumbai Indians made the playoffs, after two dismal seasons in 2021 and 2022, but finished fourth. Rohit's captaincy was not the concern for the owners and team management led by Mahela Jayawardene. If there was a concern, it was Rohit's batting stats: in the last two seasons (2022 and 2023) his average hovered around 20.

Also, Rohit will turn 37 next April and his age would have been factored into the deliberations to identify and secure a successor to ensure a smooth transition. Mumbai Indians have been fairly unsentimental about transitions in the past. They moved on from Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga and Kieron Pollard - all pillars of their IPL legacy - and found ways to keep them involved with the team wherever possible. Even John Wright, who coached them to the title in 2013, was moved to a behind-the-scenes scouting role fairly swiftly, with tremendous results. Mumbai Indians' leadership group, which is led directly by the owners, ensured that each of these decisions was handled efficiently.

While some might have thought Hardik would take over the captaincy just before or during the 2024 season, Mumbai perhaps wanted to avoid the scenario when Rohit was suddenly elevated to captaincy in 2013. Ponting, who was bought by Mumbai Indians at the auction for US$400,000 and appointed captain, stepped down after six matches, having scored just 52 runs. When Ponting became mentor, and soon head coach of Mumbai Indians, he guided Rohit in his early years of captaincy, playing a role in the title wins in 2013 and 2015.

One of the things that worked for Rohit at Mumbai Indians was his ability to extract the best from his players. His team-mates credit Rohit for giving them confidence and security so they could perform at the best - at the IPL or for India. That is a result of Rohit being a people's person - his communication style is simple and uncomplicated, allowing him to understand his players better. And he has utilised that along with his tactical acumen to execute his plans in high-pressure moments.

Rohit was the first captain to win five IPL titles. The first two came when they beat their greatest rivals Chennai Super Kings in the 2013 and 2015 finals. In 2017, they squeezed past Rising Pune Supergiant by one run to claim their third trophy, and then Rohit emulated MS Dhoni by becoming only the second captain to successfully defend the IPL title, winning in 2019 and 2020.

Of course, Rohit has had a surplus of matchwinners in his teams: Pollard, Malinga, Harbhajan, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik, in the main. But in 2015, when they climbed to the summit after lying at the bottom of the table for the first two weeks, Rohit learned the value of collective effort. Since then, his players have trusted his word and plans, which more often than not have worked well.

Now relieved of captaincy at Mumbai Indians, Rohit can pursue that "ultimate prize" - a global title - he so emotively spoke about earlier this week. Since the 2019 ODI World Cup, where he was the tournament's leading run-scorer, Rohit has fervently chased the ambition of winning an ICC trophy. He got three shots at it as captain - the 2022 T20 World Cup, the 2023 World Test Championship, and the 2023 ODI World Cup - but fell short each time.

It is not yet known whether he will lead India at the 2024 T20 World Cup in June, but relieved of the Mumbai captaincy and playing the IPL as a batter allows Rohit to bat with freedom. There is no doubt that both Rohit and Mumbai Indians, as well as India, would want him to dictate terms in the opening verse of the T20 World Cup - the first six overs - just as he did at the ODI World Cup powerplays. Rohit unshackled is a game changer.

As for Rohit's relationship with Hardik, it has always been strong. It was under Rohit's captaincy that Hardik made his IPL debut in 2015 and went on to develop into India's best allrounder. While Hardik has admitted to being a Dhoni admirer, he has enough respect for Rohit too.

At Titans, Hardik was the seniormost player with pretty much full control. He could bat where he wanted to and bowl, or not bowl, as he chose, as was the case in the 2023 season when he played as captain and batter.

Hardik now returns to a familiar environment - he called it a homecoming - but the challenge will be bigger. Not only will he need to perform on the field, but his primary job will be to ensure his team is one unit and that he has the trust, confidence and respect of the seniors: Rohit, Bumrah and Suryakumar. Those last two, Hardik will be aware, harboured leadership dreams too. He could be challenged on and off the field.

Mumbai have not won the IPL trophy for three seasons. This leadership change suggests that the management and the owners are now impatient for another title-winning run. As captain of one of the most high-profile IPL teams, the pressure on Hardik will be high. And then there's the priority of staying fit to play the T20 World Cup for India, and possibly captain the national side in the future.

The challenge for Mumbai will be to ensure Rohit and Hardik join hands in the short term and lay the groundwork for long-term gains.