Mumbai Indians have appointed Hardik Pandya as their captain for the IPL 2024 season, taking over from 5-time IPL winning champion Rohit Sharma.
Pandya’s appointment ends Rohit Sharma’s illustrious 10-year stint as skipper.
Hardik, who led Gujarat Titans to the IPL crown in their maiden outing in 2022, was traded back to Mumbai Indians and is now set to lead the team. He began his IPL career with the Mumbai Indians in 2015 and has scored 1476 runs for the franchise.
Sharma, along with MS Dhoni, has won the title most times for his franchise.
‘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,’ the franchise’s global head of performance and Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene said.
The former Sri Lanka captain’s announcement ends all speculations surrounding Hardik’s role at the franchise. Pandya was expected to bet a bigger role as he returned to the franchise.
Pandya has also taken over from Sharma unofficially as the national team’s T20I captain.
The Mumbai Indians had disappointing results in 2022 and 2023, so it is possible Pandya will bring his success with the Titans into a new successful campaign for the Indians in the future.
‘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,’ added Jayawardene.
Stay updated with all the insights.
Navigate news, 1 email day.
Subscribe to Qrius
