Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) sprang a surprise last December by appointing Hardik Pandya as their new captain. The all-rounder would be succeeding Rohit Sharma, who led MI to five IPL titles in his 10-year stint as skipper.

This move came soon after Hardik returned to MI, following a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans (GT), whom he led in the past two seasons.

While the decision of MI management was questioned by the fans and many experts alike, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes the changing of guard will only benefit the franchise next season.

According to Gavaskar, the change in leadership was imminent at the MI camp with Rohit on the wrong side of 30s.

"Look they have always thought about the future of the franchise. Rohit Sharma is already 36 years old and also faces immense pressure being the captain of India for all three formats. They have tried to reduce some of that burden and give that responsibility on the young shoulders of Hardik Pandya," Gavaskar told Star Sports.

Hardik Pandya moved from GT to MI with the 2022 champions receiving INR 15 crore in their purse for the IPL 2024 auction. It was an all-cash deal, making Hardik the first title-winning captain to be traded in IPL.

"Handing Hardik the captaincy is only going to benefit the Mumbai Indians. They have now given the freedom to Rohit to go and express himself freely at the top of the order. Hardik can then come at No.3 or No.5 and help them post totals of 200-plus consistently," Gavaskar added.

Talking about Rohit Sharma, he took over as MI captain from Ricky Ponting midway through IPL 2013. Overall, he led MI in 163 matches in which they emerged victorious on 91 occasions and lost 68 games while four ended in ties.