 "Hardik Pandya replaces Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain for IPL 2024")
Mumbai Indians dropped a massive announcement on Friday, naming Hardik Pandya their captain from the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The move marks the end of a glorious era for the Mumbai Indians, with Rohit Sharma stepping down as captain of the franchise after a decade, in which he led the side to five IPL titles besides a Champions League T20 triumph in 2013. Commenting on the massive decision, Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said, “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. Jayawardene, who had previously served as head coach of the Mumbai Indians, also reflected on Rohit’s trophy-laden tenure as captain, which he described as “extraordinary”. “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. “We welcome Hardik Pandya as the new captain of MI and wish him all the very best,” the Sri Lankan added.
Pandya had recently been traded from the Gujarat Titans, where he spent two seasons as captain, in a blockbuster move on 27 November, a day after the franchises announced their list of retained and released. Mumbai paid Rs 15 crore in an all cash deal for Pandya and traded Australian seam-bowling all-rounder Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 17.5 crore in order to make room for the latest arrival. Read | ‘Pandya’s return to Mumbai Indians may have hurt Bumrah’: Kris Srikkanth The trade, one of the biggest talking points across cricket in recent weeks, was seen as MI’s attempt at bringing in a worthy successor to captain Rohit, who at the age of 36 is in the twilight of his playing career. Beside the IPL, Pandya has also taken up a leadership role with the Indian team, having led the Men in Blue in the T20I format since they reached the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia under Rohit’s leadership. Rohit had joined the Mumbai Indians in 2011 after spending three seasons with Deccan Chargers, winning the 2009 IPL under Adam Gilchrist’s leadership. He assumed charge of the franchise midway through the 2013 season, taking over the reins from former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and guiding the franchise to their maiden title that season. Rohit would then go on to lead MI to title wins in 2015, 2017, 2019 as well as 2020 — becoming only the second captain after Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni to win back-to-back IPL titles. Rohit also helped Mumbai Indians win their second Champions League T20 title shortly after their maiden IPL title in October 2013, defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final. Rohit is currently tied with Dhoni as the most successful captain in IPL history — the two legendary captains having won five titles each. Pandya, meanwhile returns to the franchise after leading the Titans to back-to-back finals — defeating Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 final to win the title on debut before losing against Dhoni’s CSK the following year to finish runners-up.