Mumbai Indians fans could not contain their frustration after the franchise announced a change in guard ahead of IPL 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma with all-rounder Hardik Pandya as skipper. As a result, the team's social media handle suffered a massive loss of fans as over 400k unfollowed them on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram within 1 hour of the announcement.
With Mumbai Indians acquiring Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal, several experts saw a change in guard coming. On December 15th, Friday, the franchise finalised their new captain even as Rohit has tasted immense success as captain since taking charge in 2013. He led them to their first trophy that year and the franchise followed it up with 4 more in the next 7 years.
"We will look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field" - Mahela Jayawardene on Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians' Global Head of Performance Mahela Jayawardene hailed Rohit Sharma for his unprecedented contribution to the franchise and looks forward to guiding the team in more ways moving forward. As quoted by the official website, he stated:
"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."
IPL 2024 is likely to get underway in March.
