Rohit Sharma’s unceremonious removal as MI captain in 2024 never sat down well with either the fans or experts. As MI stares at another bottom-placed finish, experts once again point out the damage that the decision did.

Mumbai Indians’ decision to trade Hardik Pandya into their side and award him the captaincy over Rohit Sharma has not paid dividends as the team looks destined to settle towards the bottom of the Indian Premier League table for the second time in three years.

MI lost to Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday in what was their ninth defeat of the season. They are currently ninth in the 10-team table and could also finish at the bottom for the second time in last three seasons.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Ex-India spinner Murali Kartik and former India batter Manoj Tiwary both heavily criticised the franchise for their captaincy choice and said that the decision completely broke the dressing room. Tiwary went even further and suggested that MI should bring back Rohit as the captain and give him the respect he deserves.

Kartik, Tiwary slam MI management

MI had to release
Hardik due to the mega auction rules ahead of the 2022 IPL. The all-rounder went to the newly-formed Gujarat Titans and won the title in his very first year before finishing runners-up the next season. Ahead of the 2024 season, MI traded Hardik back and gave him the captaincy, sacking Rohit under whom the team had won five championships.

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Kartik said that since Hardik was given captaincy over retained team members, that created fissures in the team.

“You brought in someone who had gone elsewhere. You hadn’t retained him… The problem is where you brought him from and how it made the others feel inside the dressing room. That matters a lot,” said Kartik.

Has replacing Rohit with Hardik hurt Mumbai❓👀 @kartikmurali & @tiwarymanoj discuss, on Cricbuzz Live Hindi #IPL2026 @GoogleIndia pic.twitter.com/6f4dBqjyER

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) May 21, 2026

“Suryakumar Yadav must have also felt that ‘I am the captain of India but not of Mumbai Indians.’
Jasprit Bumrah must have thought that when the whole world praises me and I can captain India, then why not Mumbai?

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

“And the biggest thing: everyone else was retained, but Hardik wasn’t. So you had already lost the dressing room from the beginning. This is my opinion because I observe dressing room dynamics closely. It’s not about the players not trying. Ultimately, everyone plays for their pride, but when the jigsaw puzzle doesn’t fit properly, cracks remain somewhere,” the former India spinner said.

Tiwary also agreed with Kartik and said that there is no chance that Hardik will be able to remain captain for the next season. In that case, he wants Rohit to take over as capain again.

“Rohit Sharma’s legacy — you’ve seen it crumbling right in front of your eyes in the last three years, and that shows in his expressions in the dugout. He knows that if he were in charge, he wouldn’t have taken these decisions

“They will have to rebuild. I am 200% sure that next year we will see a new captain, whether it’s Surya or Bumrah. If Bumrah wants it, fine, but generally, keeping in mind that Bumrah is a fast bowler and can get injured, I think they will go with Suryakumar Yadav.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

“Surya’s winning percentage as captain is very good. If Rohit doesn’t want to do it, that’s different, but from my heart, I want them to bring Rohit back and give him that respect once again,” Tiwary said.

First Published:
May 21, 2026, 11:33 IST

HomeFirst Cricket‘Rohit watching his legacy crumble’: Ex-India stars on how Pandya captaincy decision broke MI dressing roomEnd of Article