Hardik Pandya to lead Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024

In a massive development, Mumbai Indians (MI) announced Hardik Pandya will take over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma for IPL 2024. The five-time champions traded the ace all-rounder from Gujarat Titans (GT) in an all-cash deal last month.

Rohit took over the MI leadership in IPL 2013 and led the franchise to all five titles, making it one of the most successful in tournament history. Overall, he led in 158 matches, winning 89 and losing 68.

“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 (Tendulkar) to Harbhajan (Singh( 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, Mumbai Indians' Global Head of Performance said.

Mumbai Indians released Hardik two seasons ago. He assumed the leadership of Gujarat Titans in that period and led them to the title in IPL 2022 and then to a runner-up finish the following year.

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Mahela Jayawardene expresses "gratitude" to Rohit Sharma, welcomes Hardik Pandya

Further in the statement, Jayawardene thanked Rohit for his leadership and called him "one of the finest captains" in the IPL. The Sri Lankan legend also welcomed back Hardik, wishing him well for his captaincy endeavor.

"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," Jayawardene added.

Hardik is also likely to replace Rohit as the full-time captain of India's T20I team when the latter decides to call quits on his career.