'Is Hardik Pandya worth 18 crore? MI captain's exit hinted at; Rohit Sharma branded 'delusional' awaits last-minute trial'

The BCCI has recently revealed the IPL players' retention rules, leaving the franchises with the challenging task of making crucial decisions. Mumbai Indians, the five-time champions who had a disappointing performance last season, are now faced with the daunting task of selecting their retention list. With a plethora of talented Indian players in their squad, choosing between them is no easy feat. The management is currently engaged in intense brainstorming sessions to make the best possible choices.

MI made a bold decision last year by sacking Rohit Sharma as skipper and naming Hardik Pandya the new captain, who they re-signed in a trade deal from Gujarat Titans. The decision didn't go down well with the fans as Pandya was booed by them in almost all venues wherever they travelled to play in IPL.

Former SRH head coach Tom Moody shared his views on Mumbai Indians' retention policy and suggested that Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah should be their top priorities for the INR 18 crore bracket, which will leave last season's skipper Hardik for INR 14 pick.

"The way that things panned out in the last edition of the IPL, he would be, I think, a little bit disillusioned with what happened over the last 6-12 months. I would have Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav in the 18-crore bracket, and Hardik at 14. Leaving is up to him or you can put it down to his performance, form and fitness. And when you dissect all of those areas with Hardik Pandya, does he deserve to be an 18 crore player? Is he worth? If you've got to be an 18 crore player, you've got to be a genuine match-winner and do it regularly. Hardik Pandya, through his trials and tribulations over the last edition of the IPL was struggling with both fitness and performance. Tilak Varma absolutely," Moody said on ESPNCricinfo.

MI is one such franchise which has invested heavily in Indian talents and groomed young players who went on to become big superstars in world cricket. However, in the last couple of auctions, Moody feels that they got caught up a bit too much in showing loyalty towards a player, citing the example of Ishan Kishan, who was signed for a whopping INR 15.25 crore in IPL 2022.

"They've had a little bit of problem at the auction table last couple of years. They've gotten caught up in a way too loyal in some cases and tried to retain, or get players back into their squad, which has cost them dearly. Classic examples were Ishan Kishan and Jofra Archer, both coming at a heavy price. Did they get the return? I look at Ishan Kishan and I think ‘look he’s a terrific player and is exciting. But also runs very hot and cold. How many matches has he won out of his bat; that's a question you've got to ask. If you're paying him around 14 crore for retention, are you going to get the return from a performance point of view? They will have to make some hard decisions," he added.

Meanwhile, Moody made the point that they should speak with former skipper Rohit Sharma and learn his intentions about continuing with the franchise. Then, they can sign him back through the RTM card.

"Hardik, Bumrah, Surya and Tilak are a good 4 to retain. And look at Rohit Sharma as to what his intentions are and then use a Right to Match option. You don't know what those conversations are going to be," he concluded.