‘Rohit ko kaptaani se haatane walon, zillat tumhara muqaddar banegi’ – Fans react as Hardik Pandya appointed as MI captain for IPL 2024

Former India Premier League (IPL) champions, Mumbai Indians have announced Hardik Pandya as their captain for the IPL 2024. The five-time managed to trade in Pandya from the Gujarat Titans. The all-rounder started his IPL career with MI in 2015. Till 2021, the Gujarat player played for the team before moving to the 2022 winners, Gujarat Titans. Meanwhile, ahead of the player’s retention, it was reported that Pandya might move back to MI.

Apart from this, it was understood that he was set to be made captain despite Sharma being the captain from 2013 to 2023. In the last three seasons, the team has qualified for playoffs only once. Even in the 2023 in which they reached the playoffs, they needed GT to beat RCB to reach the players

“Hardik Pandya announced as captain for the IPL 2024 season. Mumbai Indians today announced a significant leadership transition for the upcoming 2024 season. Renowned all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to take the helm as the captain of the Mumbai Indians, succeeding its longest-serving, one of the most successful and loved captains the illustrious Rohit Sharma,” Mumbai Indians wrote in a statement on Instagram.

Hardik Pandya becoming the captain is part of the legacy: Mahela Jayawardene

Commenting on this transition 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.

“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.”

This is how Twitter reacted