Chennai Super Kings respond to reports of approaching Mumbai Indians for high-profile Rohit Sharma trade

In an unexpected move, Mumbai Indians (MI) have appointed Hardik Pandya as their new captain ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 edition, after acquiring the all-rounder through a high-profile trade. The franchise has been criticised by many after sacking Rohit Sharma who has been serving the role since 2013. 

There were speculations that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had approached Mumbai to trade Rohit. However, the latest reports suggested that Kasi Viswanathan, the CEO of CSK, has denied such discussions with the five-time IPL champions.

"We don’t trade players as a principle and we also don’t have players to trade with Mumbai Indians. We have not approached them and we don’t intend to either," Viswanathan told Cricbuzz on the sidelines of the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai.

Mark Boucher refutes internal discord within Mumbai Indians

Mark Boucher, Mumbai Indians head coach, invalidated reports suggesting there was internal discord within the team. Notably, MI players Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah shared some cryptic posts on their social media accounts after Hardik Pandya was appointed captain. Boucher stated that not everyone is pleased with the decision the team have made but it was only a 'transition.' He further acknowledged Rohit’s contribution as a leader of the side so far in the competition. Notably, the 36-year-old batter, who is the leading run-scorer for MI, has led the team to an impressive five IPL titles. 

“It’s the game of cricket. Mumbai Indians move forward. Rohit has been fantastic for us. He’s been a stalwart for Mumbai Indians, he has done really well. This is just a decision that is made by us to move forward and get into a transition phase with the new captain and it’s, you know, take all the motions aside and all that type of stuff. That’s simply what it is all about,” the coach said.