Hardik Pandya to lead MI in IPL 2024: In a shocking move ahead of the IPL 2024 Auctions, Mumbai Indians (MI) have named Hardik Pandya as the captain of the side for the Tata IPL 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma. The franchise confirmed the development on Friday, December 15 through social media posts.
The update was made public by the franchise on Friday afternoon, a few days before the IPL 2024 Auction. Notably, Hardik Pandya was traded in by Mumbai Indians in a landmark deal of INR 15 Crores with Gujarat Titans (GT).
Hardik was instrumental in spearheading Gujarat Titans (GT) to the title win in IPL 2022. The franchise ended up becoming the runner-up in the IPL 2023 under Hardik’s captaincy.
“Mumbai Indians today announced a significant leadership transition for the 2024 season. Renowned all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to take the helm as the captain of the Mumbai Indians, succeeding its longest-serving, one of the most successful and loved captains the illustrious Rohit Sharma,” said the franchise.
Rohit Sharma took up Mumbai’s leadership position midway through the 2013 season and immediately turned the fortunes of the side. He won the IPL title in his debut season as the captain. Later he went on to lift four more titles in the years 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
The Ambani-owned IPL franchise has had several big-wig captains from Sachin Tendulkar to Ricky Ponting, however, the captaincy records of Rohit Sharma are second to none. The flamboyant batter has stepped down from the role as the most successful IPL captain having five illustrations titles under his belt.
Further, Mumbai Indians expressed their gratitude and penned a heartfelt note for Rohit Sharma, who had held the side for the longest in the franchise’s history.
“We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership; his tenure as the 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 finest captains in the history of the IPL. Under his guidance, MI became one of the most successful and loved teams ever. We will look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field to further strengthen MI,” it added.
Commenting on what can be called a transition for the most successful IPL franchise, Mahila Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said that the move is to make the team future-ready, which has been their philosophy.
“It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season.”
Hardik Pandya made his name in the sport while being associated with Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL. He was with the franchise from 2015 to 2021, however, Mumbai decided to release him ahead of the IPL 2022 auctions, and subsequently, Gujarat Titans (GT) picked him as one of their draft picks for IPL 2022.
The all-rounder made 92 appearances for MI during his seven-year-long association. He played a key role in Mumbai’s title victories in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 under Rohit Sharma.
For more details head to Mumbai Indians (MI) official website.