"You’ve to admire the courage"- Eoin Morgan lauds Mumbai Indians for replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain

Eoin Morgan praised the Mumbai Indians (MI) for being practical and going ahead with the decision to replace long-time captain Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya at the helm ahead of IPL 2024.

The decision to replace Rohit hasn't gone down well with many MI fans, as the franchise lost more than half a million followers on Instagram. Many have expressed their anger on social media, suggesting that skipper Rohit deserved a better farewell.

However, speaking to TOI, Eoin Morgan explained how MI have always been a result-oriented franchise and feels they did the right thing by not letting emotions affect their decision.

"If you look at the franchise itself, they have had a very forward-thinking, logic-driven and future-proof driven style of strategy for a long time," Morgan said. "A decision like this reinforces that the franchise always comes first.

"You probably see this as being a tough decision that they’ve made hoping that the long-term benefits will see MI lifting another championships in the coming years. So, in a way, you’ve to admire the courage that it takes to make a decision like that because not every team would take that decision."

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Eoin Morgan comes out in support of Impact Player rule

There has been a lot of talk about whether the Impact Player rule introduced in the IPL should be revoked. While some feel that it has stopped the development of all-rounders, Eoin Morgan reckons that it only eliminates the massive gulf between teams, making them more competitive.

"I've sat in many selection meetings over the years and having all-rounders is an absolute privilege," he said. "But when you don't have them available, it really does hamper selection because you're always struggling to balance the side either with an extra batter or an extra bow.

"Having a rule in place creates an even field across the whole tournament and allows teams to be more tactically savvy when it comes to playing against tougher opposition who might be stacked full of all-rounders."

It will be interesting to see how many fresh faces get to live their dream in IPL 2024, with the auction all set to take place in Dubai on December 19.