Hardik Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians on condition that he would be made captain: Reports

All-rounder Hardik Pandya reportedly returned to the Mumbai Indians franchise on the condition that he would be made captain of the team.

In a major development, the Mumbai Indians franchise on Friday, December 15, confirmed that Pandya would take over as leader from Rohit Sharma for the Indian Premier League 2024 season. The all-rounder was traded in from Gujarat Titans last month.

While Pandya returning to Mumbai Indians was seen as a key move keeping the captaincy in mind, not many were expecting the 30-year-old to take charge from the upcoming season itself. However, according to The Indian Express, Pandya had set the condition that he would make a comeback to MI only if he was given the captaincy.

The report claimed that Rohit was informed by Mumbai Indians at the start of the 2023 ODI World Cup about Pandya returning to the Mumbai franchise for the upcoming season as captain. The report also added that Rohit was briefed about the franchise roadmap going ahead and the immediate need for a change in leadership to which he agreed.

Under Rohit, Mumbai Indians became one of the top franchises in the IPL, winning the tournament five times - 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

As for Pandya, he led Gujarat Titans to victory in their maiden IPL season in 2022. In the 2023 edition, GT finished runners-up, going down to Chennai Super Kings in the final.

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Mumbai Indians pay tribute to Rohit while naming Pandya new captain

On Friday, the Mumbai Indians issued a press release to confirm that Pandya would be replacing Rohit as captain for the IPL 2024 season. Reflecting on the big move, the franchise’s global head of performance Mahela Jayawardene said:

“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 statement went on to hail Rohit as the franchise expressed gratitude to him for his exceptional leadership, describing his tenure as the captain of the Mumbai Indians since 2013 as ‘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,” the release said.

Rohit recently led Team India to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they went down to Australia by six wickets.