Former Indian national cricket team batsman Aakash Chopra has predicted that former Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma will rule the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 with his batting performances.
Rohit will enter the main tournament without the burden of captaincy on his shoulders. He has been replaced as captain by all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was traded by the five-time champions in a cash deal.
Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain in the history of the league and his dismissal as captain did not go down well with the fans, who criticized the franchise for their move. He led Mumbai Indians (MI) to five titles since he took over as captain in 2013.
Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra in a video shared on his official YouTube channel said that Rohit could have his second 500-run season in the IPL and help Mumbai Indians (MI) lift the IPL 2024 trophy.
“Rohit Sharma is one of those players from whom you expect to score more than 500 runs in a season. However, he scored more than 500 runs only once in his IPL career. Maybe this is his year. He is no longer the captain of the Mumbai Indians, which could bring out the best in batsman Rohit Sharma. It could be one of the reasons why Mumbai Indians won the title,” Chopra said on his official YouTube channel.
It may surprise many, but Rohit Sharma has scored 500 or more runs in just one season in his illustrious IPL career. In 2013, he played 19 matches and scored 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 wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan would be eager to deliver with the bat after his central contract snub.
“Ishan Kishan would be eager to get started as he hasn’t played cricket for a long time and the IPL will open doors for him to play more. Hunger may be the main 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 tour of South Africa in December 2023. After that, the BCCI asked him to participate in domestic cricket, but he ignored the directives, which resulted in him the governing body will punish him.
Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra has also felt that Mumbai Indians (MI) have an exceptionally strong Indian contingent and for this reason, they will enter IPL 2024 as one of the favorites to win the trophy.
“Most teams that win the IPL have a strong Indian core. We have seen that teams that depend excessively on their foreign players end up failing.
“When you look at Mumbai’s players, there is a wealth of experience in their Indian core, with seven players having played for India. Normally, the Indian core is a weakness with teams but not with MI and that is why I think 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 Ahmadabad.