Exclusive: 'He is the IPL' - Graeme Swann lauds MS Dhoni's fitness; backs Hardik's appointment as MI captain

IPL 2024 kicks off on March 22 with the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are also the defending champions, taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Chennai. Like every year, there is a lot of buzz about the upcoming IPL season. Dhoni's return is once again making the headlines whereas his protege Rishabh Pant will also mark his comeback at the competitive level since his horrific car crash. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya will start his captaincy tenure with the Mumbai Indians (MI), heralding a new era for the five-time winners (following the end of Rohit Sharma's inspiring leadership).

Ahead of the IPL, WION exclusively interacted with former England spinner Graeme Swann. Swann spoke at length on Dhoni's IPL return and hailed the 42-year-old's fitness and longevity. In addition, he backed MI's bold call to replace Rohit with Hardik as the captain.

'I don't think IPL will be the same without MSD'

Dhoni has featured in all IPL seasons since its inception in 2008. At 42, he continues to inspire with his fitness and longevity. Hence, Swann said, "Oh, I have no worries about Dhoni. He is the IPL. He has been there since its inception. He is an absolute megastar in India. I don't think it will be the same without him. I am really looking forward to see him play once again. And he is such a great leader on the field. Even if his fitness wasn't the same as it was 5-6 years (ago), he is still very close to that. He is still performing at an elite level. I have no worries about MS Dhoni playing."

Also read: IPL 2024: 'He is like a diesel engine that never stops' - De Villiers hails CSK captain MS Dhoni's longevity

Everyone knew Hardik would join Mumbai at some point: Swann

On the other hand, Swann backed MI team management's call to appoint Hardik as the captain, who rejoined the team after being traded by Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of last year's mini-auction in Dubai. While many have slammed their decision to remove Rohit, the Englishman claims it was the right call.

In this regard, he said, "Oh yes. It was (the right decision). He led two years in Gujarat and he was unbelievable. He got that title under his belt. He is a natural leader. Everyone knew at some point that he would return to the mother's arms in Mumbai. I think Mumbai recruited very well. They look very strong now."

Also read: Would've given Rohit Sharma one more season as Mumbai Indians captain: Yuvraj

All eyes are on Dhoni's comeback on the 22-yard cricket strip. This might be his last season in the IPL. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how Hardik leads the star-studded MI lineup after his success as a leader in GT (where he led them to the championship in their maiden season in 2022).

Squads:

CSK squad for IPL 2024: MS Dhoni, Devon Conway, Avanish Rao Aravelly, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shaik Rasheed, Ajinkya Rahane, Sameer Rizvi, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Ajay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Choudhary.

MI squad for IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Romario Shepherd, Hardik Pandya (c), Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma.