“Saddest moment in cricket history” – Fans react to Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain for IPL 2024

In a stunning development, Mumbai Indians (MI) announced Hardik Pandya as the new skipper replacing Rohit Sharma for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The development comes weeks after Pandya, the ex-Gujarat Titans skipper, joined MI for a trade deal of ₹15 crore.

The change in leadership comes 10 years after Rohit was appointed MI captain in 2013. As a skipper, the 36-year-old has led the Mumbai-based franchise to five IPL trophies and one Champions League title. Chennai Super Kings are the only other IPL franchise to have won five IPL titles.

Rohit finished with the second-most wins in IPL history, leading MI to 87 wins in 158 matches at a win percentage of 55.06. CSK captain MS Dhoni tops the chart with 133 wins in 226 matches at a 58.84 win percentage.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) came up with mixed response to Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit as MI skipper. One user wrote:

“Saddest moment in cricket history”

Here are some more reactions:

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“We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership” – Mahela Jayawardena

Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians, Mahela Jayawardena lauded Rohit Sharma for taking the Mumbai Indians franchise to a new height during his captaincy tenure. In a statement, he said:

"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."

He added:

"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."

Mumbai Indians Retained Players: Hardik Pandya (T), Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Cameron Green, Dewald Brevis, Ishan Kishan, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, N. Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Piyush Chawla, Rohit Sharma, Romario Shepherd (T), Shams Mulani, Surya Kumar Yadav, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod.

MI will enter the upcoming IPL 2024 auction with a purse of ₹17.75 crore. The auction will take place in Dubai on November 19.