Hardik Pandya is stepping up to replace Rohit Sharma as the Mumbai Indians (MI) team leader for the 2024 IPL season. This top all-rounder player is returning from the Gujarat Titans (GT). He’s going back to his roots. His price? A cool INR 15 crore, all in cash.
While it was unclear whether he would run MI as he did GT at the time, Mumbai issued a formal statement on Friday, December 15, to announce the dramatic change at the head.
The revelation hasn’t gone over well with X fans, who think Rohit Sharma-who has five titles with the Mumbai Indians-was treated unfairly. Here are a few responses:
Mahela Jayawardene Talks About MI’s Decision to Replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the Skipper
Former Sri Lankan captain and Mumbai Indians Global Head of Performance Mahela Jayawardene explains why the team opted to replace Rohit Sharma as captain. They wanted to guarantee a seamless transition in the leadership group and thought now was the moment to rally behind the ideology.
In an official news statement issued by MI, Mahela Jayawardene was reported as commenting on the subject:
“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
It would be intriguing to watch how Hardik Pandya restores MI’s glory days after winning a championship with Gujarat and leading them to the final during the team’s second season.
