Hardik Pandya to replace Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians skipper for IPL 2024: ‘Staying true to MI philosophy’
Rohit Sharma’s successful 10-year reign as the skipper of Mumbai Indians came to an end on Friday as the franchise announced that from IPL 2024, Hardik Pandya will replace Sharma as the MI captain. The announcement was somewhere on the expected line since Hardik Pandya decided to move back to Mumbai Indians after leading Gujarat Titans for two years and winning the IPL crown in 2022.
“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,” Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene said.
“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,” Jayawardene added.
The announcement ends a decade of exceptional leadership displayed by Rohit Sharma as he led Mumbai Indians to victory in 5 seasons during his 10 years of captaincy. MS Dhoni equalized the number of crowns after winning IPL 2023 but the CSK skipper has been leading the franchise for 12 years.
T20 World Cup question
Hardik Pandya taking over as the new MI skipper throws some light on Rohit Sharma’s prospects or intention to lead Team India in the 2024 T20 World Cup which is scheduled just after the IPL in June 2024. Rohit Sharma has not officially spoken on his plans but his decision to stay away from white-ball format during South Africa indicates that he is mulling over his future in the shorter formats of cricket.
As per reports, the BCCI has asked Rohit Sharma to lead India in the T20 World Cup 2024, but the Indian skipper is yet to reveal his intentions and the T20I series against Afghanistan may provide more clarity on his mindset. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya are the two most promising candidates for the role of skipper, and recently Suryakumar Yadav has also displayed his great leadership skills, especially in the T20 format of the game.
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Published: 15 Dec 2023, 05:58 PM IST
