The new Indian Premier League (IPL) season beckons and one of the most intriguing aspects of it will be the change of guard in Mumbai Indians. The five-time champions will have a new skipper at the helm in Hardik Pandya, with previous captain Rohit Sharma featuring just as a batter. The move to change captaincy has been one of the most debated topics in the buildup to the IPL 2024. Whether Hardik Pandya can lead his old franchise with success is the question.
In a video, which has been widely shared on social media, former Indian cricket team player Praveen Kumar can be seen being asked this tough question on Mumbai Indians' change in captaincy.
"Did MI take a hurried decision? Or, the decision to make Hardik Pandya captain was the right one?" Praveen Kumar, who has played for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab, was asked.
"You don't play two months before, you get injured two months before the IPL, you don't play for the country, you don't play for your state in domestic cricket, and just directly play in the IPL. That's not how things work. It's okay to earn money, who is stopping you? There's nothing wrong with that. But you have to play for state and country and now people only give importance to the IPL", Praveen replied.
The former pacer advised young players to prioritise international cricket over the Indian Premier League (IPL) and try to balance both things in their careers.
"I have been saying this for long. Paisa kamao, kaun mana kar rha hai? Paisa kamane chahiye lekin aise bhi nahi hona chahiye ki aap domestic nahi khel rahe, country ko importance nahi de rahe. (Earn money, who is stopping you? But it shouldn't be like you are not playing for the country or domestic cricket). This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun (Will rest for a month before the IPL and then play. This happens because mentally you are not willing to let go of that money). But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong," Praveen had told Times of India