Former Indian player Irfan Pathan reacted as Hardik Pandya took over the leadership of Mumbai Indians from Rohit Sharma. He said that no matter how old the franchise gets, Rohit’s name will always be at the top.

In what was a bombshell announcement, Mumbai Indians named Hardik Pandya as team captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL). This meant that Rohit Sharma’s era as the league’s leader came to an end after 10 long years.

When Rohit Sharma took over the leadership of Mumbai Indians, they had nothing. However, since he took over he has changed the fortunes of the franchise. In the 11 seasons he captained the team, he won five titles and made the franchise the most successful in tournaments.

Rohit Sharma in 2013 took over from Ricky Ponting and made an impact in the first season by winning the title in his maiden edition as captain. After that, he didn’t look back and won four more titles with them in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, becoming the team with the most titles in the tournament.

When Mumbai Indians made the announcement, many were excited and praised Rohit Sharma for his achievement. Irfan Pathan also couldn’t contain himself and wrote an emotional message, saying that he will always be on top.

Taking to his account X, he said: “How old is this franchise? Why doesn’t it go away? Rohit Sharma’s name will remain the best.”

No matter how old this franchise is, the biggest prize will be the name of Rohit Sharma. @ImRo45 @mipaltan

—Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 15, 2023

We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership – Mahela Jayawardena

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardena spoke about the development and said that they express their gratitude towards Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership. While he highlighted Rohit’s success, he stated:

“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 the history of the IPL. 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.”

Hardik Pandya was recently traded to Mumbai Indians. He captained the Gujarat Giants Titans and won the title in 2022 and runners-up in 2023.