Hardik Pandya replaces Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain ahead of IPL 2024
NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians announced on Friday that Hardik Pandya will be taking over the captaincy for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.
Hardik replaces a highly-successful Rohit Sharma, who led the franchise to five IPL titles.
The development comes after Hardik returned to his former franchise last month from Gujarat Titans.
Following a successful two-year stint at Gujarat -- where Hardik took the side to 2 finals and winning one of them in 2022 -- the all-rounder returned to Mumbai in a high-profile trade ahead of the December 19 auction.
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.
"We welcome
