Mumbai (TIP)- Mumbai Indians lost 400,000 followers on Twitter an hour within an hour of announcing Hardik Pandya as their new captain ahead of the Indian Premier League 2024 season. Pandya was announced as the new captain of the side on December 15. The former Gujarat Titans captain would be taking over from legendary Rohit Sharma, who has five IPL titles to his name.
Sharma had been at the helm of Mumbai Indians since 2013 and won a record number of titles – 5, which was equaled by Mahendra Singh Dhon in IPL 2023. Sharma, who has not played T20Is for India since 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final loss against India will not be leading his franchise from IPL 2024. The India captain took a break from cricket after India’s heartbreaking loss in the final of World Cup 2023 and is set to return in the 2-match Test series against South Africa, which starts on 26 December.
“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,” Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said.
Hardik Pandya, who debuted in the IPL for Mumbai Indians returns to the franchise after 2 years of captaining Gujarat Titans. Pandya led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their debut season, where they beat Rajasthan Royals in the final of IPL 2022. Hardik Pandya was named the player of the match in the final, after he picked up 3 wickets and scored 34 runs. Pandya did well with the franchise in 2023 as well, leading them to the final, where they lost to MS Dhoni‘s Chennai Super Kings in a last-ball thriller.