Hardik Pandya is all set to lead Mumbai Indians in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in a major overhaul of the franchise. Hardik, who returned to Mumbai on the deadline day of the trade window, will take over from Rohit Sharma, who successfully led the franchise to five IPL titles during his stint as the skipper of the side. He now joins the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Ricky Ponting to lead the record IPL champions.

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Panyda’s reign at Mumbai Indians

The announcement on Friday (Dec 15) came as a big surprise for the cricket fraternity after Rohit decided to step down from his role as captain. While Pandya having led Gujarat Titans (GT) in the previous two seasons will now look help his new team, Mumbai Indians, clinch the title.

Interestingly, Pandaya’s first year with GT saw him lead them to glory after beating Rajasthan Royals in the final of the 2022 tournament. Pandaya also acts as deputy to Rohit on the Indian cricket team but is currently nursing an injury.

“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.  

“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,” Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said in a statement.

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Rohit’s stint as captain

Rohit took over the captaincy reigns in 2013 from Ricky Ponting in the middle of the season and led the team to their first IPL title. 

He then lead Mumbai to victories in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, becoming the most successful captain in the history of the tournament. Later, MS Dhoni in 2023 helped his team Chennai Super Kings bag the title for the fifth time and joined Rohit Sharma to achieve this feat

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