WATCH: Ambati Rayudu and Sanjay Bangar opine on Hardik Pandya's, Rohit Sharma's role in MI

The Mumbai Indians' season is not looking promising yet again after they suffered a tough defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium. Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar and six-time IPL winner Ambati Rayudu discuss the leadership roles of MI skipper Hardik Pandya and MI legend Rohit Sharma.

The Mumbai Indians are currently eighth on the points table in the tournament, with only one win and four losses. The roles of both Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma have been a huge debate among the experts. In a recent segment of ESPNcricinfo Timeout, a heated debate unfolded between two cricket experts. During the discussion, Sanjay Bangar suggested that Rohit Sharma's absence from the field, as he is often used as an impact player, might be affecting the team's performance. In response, the former wicketkeeper-batter argued that the Indian skipper doesn’t require constant input from others, implying that Rohit’s leadership style doesn’t rely heavily on external voices. This exchange also saw Bangar taking a subtle jab at Ambati Rayudu, referencing his experience as an IPL captain to highlight his leadership credentials.

“I want to ask you one question, Rayudu, and I think also that the absence of Rohit on the field is also hurting MI from a leadership point of view, wherein he could probably give the right inputs to Hardik as well,” Bangar said.

“I don't think Hardik needs inputs. A captain has to be left alone, Sanjay Bhai, to be very honest. It is his team, his inputs, and you cannot have 10 people in his year like last year. So Rohit is India's captain, so nobody wants to be in his year when he's captain in India. And you should follow the same with Hardik Pandya here. Captain has to be left alone, according to me,” Ambati Rayudu replied to Bangar.

“For you, it was slightly different because you never led an IPL team. If my memory serves me right, but here is a guy who has led IPL to multiple titles,” The ex-India player answers back.

“But he is not the captain anymore, Sanjay Bhai. He is not the captain anymore. It is Hardik's team. So let's not get into that debate. Rohit is a great leader, he is a great captain. We all acknowledge that. But it is Hardik Pandya's team. And he will do whatever he seems, or he seems fit. Rohit's inputs can always come through a substitute fielder, or I can always send a message,” Rayudu concluded.

Check out the clip below: 

Speaking of Hardik Pandya's tenure as an MI skipper, he has led the side in 19 games so far in which he has won only five games and lost 14 times, which gives him a win rate of only 35.71%. This is in contrast to his leadership record with Gujarat Titans (GT). with whom he has had a successful stint as a skipper in 2022 and 2023.