In a significant leadership transition, Mumbai Indians appointed Hardik Pandya as their captain for IPL 2024, replacing their long-serving skipper Rohit Sharma, the IPL franchise announced on Friday.
Rohit is the most successful captain with five IPL titles to his credit -- 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Mumbai Indians made a major move ahead of the IPL 2024 mini auction by getting back star all-rounder Hardik in a mega transfer deal worth Rs 15 crore from the Gujarat Titans last month.
"Mumbai Indians today announced a significant leadership transition for the upcoming 2024 season. Renowned all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to take the helm as the captain of the Mumbai Indians, succeeding its longest-serving, one of the most successful and loved captains the illustrious Rohit Sharma," MI said in a statement.
Hardik had moved to Titans following seven seasons at the five-time IPL champions, whom he had joined for Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million) in 2015 as an uncapped player.
He won four IPL titles with MI -- in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. The all-rounder was released ahead of the mega IPL auction in 2022 as MI were allowed to retain only four players and they went with Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Kieron Pollard.
"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 (Ponting) 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, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians 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."
