Hardik Pandya’s IPL Captaincy Is A Lesson In The Importance Of Change Management

The seventeenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen high-speed deliveries, sky-high scores, and an impassioned crowd (in most matches). But this year, one of the series' most defining aspects has been the Hardik Pandya-Rohit Sharma IPL saga. 

Mumbai Indians’ (MI) decision to acquire Hardik Pandya and name him captain–replacing five-time winning captain Rohit Sharma–has been met with wide-eyed speculation and a fair share of booing in the stadiums. 

Rohit Sharma with his 5 IPL trophies which he won with Mumbai Indians 🤩#IPL2023 #GTvsKKR #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/pNMG82zuB7

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) April 29, 2023

34 (21) - a much-needed, spirited knock. 🔥#MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #MIvRR | @hardikpandya7 pic.twitter.com/xTLPNEmmry

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 1, 2024

But the move by Mumbai Indians is a lesson for most management and HRs on what not to do when shuffling the leadership! Before we dive into those lessons, let’s understand the controversy. 

The Hardik Pandya-Rohit Sharma IPL saga 

Pandya was originally with Mumbai Indians but moved to Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022 - leading the newbie team to victory as the captain. But, hours after the IPL 2024 retention deadline, Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians - shocking the cricket fraternity. 

Later, when it was announced that Pandya would replace former MI captain Rohit Sharma, the shock translated into disappointment. 

The Gujarat Titans loyalists were naturally salty at Pandya’s decision to change teams. But fans of Sharma and even MI have also not taken kindly to his position on the team. After all, crickets fans are anything but shy in letting their disappointment known. 

Source: Screenshot of Instagram Post by MI

‘Boo’king their disappointment

Pandya has been booed by the crowd in all three matches of IPL 2024 thus far — in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and even at home, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

While the booing could be expected in Ahmedabad by fans of Gujarat Titans, the other two instances–especially being booed by MI while he’s playing for them–were unexpected, to put it mildly. 

As Former England captain, Michael Vaughan said on the Club Prarie Fire podcast with former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, 

“The booing… I have to say, the Indian crowd just loves cricket. I have never heard them boo. I’ve certainly never heard them boo one of their own. I get the booing when he played at (Ahmedabad) against the Gujarat Titans... But for him to...get booed by the Mumbai Indians fans while he is playing for them, I’m staggered by it. I have never seen the Indian crowd boo one of their own."

Watch the complete comment here: 

Everyone is talking about the Mumbai Indians 🇮🇳 right now after their captain Hardik Pandya was booed at the Wankhede 🏟️ and Gilly offers some support as the self proclaimed ‘boo whisperer’ 😂

New episode is out now, link 🔗 - https://t.co/W05mVd15po#ClubPrairieFire pic.twitter.com/5cPGZHGe7o

— Club Prairie Fire (@clubprairiefire) April 3, 2024

The Missing HR Principles

Pandya and Sharma are credible players, having proved their mettle in different cricket formats time after time. 

But this is a classic case of a management decision pitting them against each other and disappointing the clients, i.e. the fans. Could the principles of change management have smoothened the transition? While no one can say for sure, there’s certainly a lesson to take home! 

Change management is the process of guiding and facilitating organizational change from start to finish. It involves planning, implementing, and solidifying changes within a company. The core elements of change management are identifying the need for change, developing and communicating the change strategy and committing to the change. 

Identifying the Need for Change

With Sharma as captain, MI lifted the IPL trophy five times. Thus, the decision to replace Sharma as captain irked the fans, who clearly believed in Sharma's leadership. 

Fans unable to identify the need for change in the first place are further questioning the decision after MI’s disastrous start. 

Mumbai Indians have lost all three matches in the IPL 2024 so far. This is not only one of Pandya's worst starts as captain but has also raised concerns about his strategic decisions regarding batting orders and bowlers.

Developing & Communicating the Change Strategy

Any change is unsettling. However, how the change is communicated can have a lasting effect on its perception. 

In the same IPL season, Ruturaj Gaikwad took over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings from MS Dhoni. Dhoni is arguably one of the most loved Indian cricketers. Yet, no one batted an eye on the change. Look at the difference in the communication:

In the case of Chennai Super Kings, it was evident that former captain Dhoni supported the change in captaincy. 

Committing to the Change

Now, the rumour mill is churning with reports of Sharma either leaving MI after IPL 2024 or replacing Pandya as captain for the remaining season. MI, or the players, have not confirmed or denied any of the reports, but the change can further weaken the position of MI management as a strategic decision-maker. 

In a candid conversation, cricket commentator and former head coach of the Indian national cricket team Ravi Shastri remarked, “The captaincy issue between Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya could've been handled better, but it is owners' call who they want as the captain. They spend the money.”

Despite being a stellar player, MI’s mishandling has earned Pandya the crowd's ire. When you replace a star performer with an outsider, even a former team player, you need to handle the change strategically. MI did anything but that. 

Having said that, MI is no stranger to turning around their fate. In 2015, MI started the season with four losses but won the trophy. It was MI’s second win under Sharma. If Pandya can replicate that this season, it will go a long way in building the fans’ confidence in the team and the captain. 

Mumbai Indians will face Delhi Capitals next, on Sunday, April 7, 2024. 

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