In what can be described as a shocking event, the Indian National Cricket Team Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has replaced Rohit Sharma as captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Hardik Pandya, who came into limelight after his impressive performances for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has been released by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Hardik Pandya joined newcomers Gujarat Titans (GT) after being released by Mumbai Indians (MI) and in his maiden season as skipper, he led GT to title victory. Under his leadership, GT also performed well in second place and finished in second place.
Despite all the success with GT, he decided to return to MI. He was traded to the Mumbai Indians in a one-way, all-cash trade. Also, Mumbai Indians traded Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for INR 17.5 crore to free up some cash after the Pandya trade.
Rohit Sharma era comes to an end, Hardik Pandya named new captain of Mumbai Indians
In an official statement issued by the franchise, Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians, expressed her gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his remarkable leadership of the franchise. She welcomed Pandya as the new captain and wished him luck for the upcoming seasons of the cash-rich league.
“It’s part of building a legacy and staying true to MI’s philosophy of being prepared for the future. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who, while contributing to the immediate success, were always keen to strengthen the team for the future. In line with this philosophy, Hardik Pandya will take over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season.”
“We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership; His tenure as captain of the Mumbai Indians since 2013 has been nothing short of extraordinary. “His leadership has not only brought unparalleled success to the team but has also solidified his place as one of the greatest captains in IPL history.”
“Under his leadership, MI became one of the most successful and beloved teams of all time. We look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field to further strengthen MI.”
“We welcome Hardik Pandya as MI’s new captain and wish him all the best.”
Rohit joined Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2013 when the franchise had not won any IPL title. However, Rohit changed MI’s fortunes with his exceptional leadership skills and guided them to register 5 titles. In total, he led the team in 158 games and won 87 of them.