Some Rohit fans were disappointed, angry and gutted after Mumbai Indians replaced their icon with Hardik Pandya as the captain ahead of IPL 2024.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have the most emotionally driven fans among the current Indian cricketers, at least on social media. And it was on full display on Friday. Some Rohit fans were disappointed, angry and gutted after Mumbai Indians replaced their icon with Hardik Pandya as the captain ahead of IPL 2024. The writing was on the wall when MI pulled off the biggest coup in IPL's history by trading Hardik back from Gujarat Titans a day after the retention window closed. MI announced the change in their leadership on Friday, four days before the auction. And as soon as the news was made public, social media was buzzing.
In a statement, Mumbai Indians said the change in leadership was part of their future planning and thanked Rohit for his exemplary service to the franchise.
Mumbai Indians are the most successful IPL franchise alongside Chennai Super Kings who both have won five titles each.
Commenting on Hardik's appointment, 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."
Rohit, who recently led India to the ODI World Cup final, had been captaining the franchise since 2013 when they lifted first of their five IPL trophies.
The other titles under Rohit's captaincy came in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Mumbai Indians had made it to the play-offs in IPL 2023.
"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.
Hardik contributed to Mumbai's glorious run in the IPL, playing a key role in the team's triumph between 2015 and 2021 before leaving to captain the Titans. He led them to the title on its IPL debut in 2022 and to a runners-up finish earlier this year.
