IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya becomes the new captain of Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya has been announced as Mumbai Indians' captain for IPL 2024, replacing the franchise's long-serving and successful captain Rohit Sharma. Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians after an all-cash deal trade-off with Gujarat Titans was formally completed following 72 hours of intense drama. Pandya was leading Gujarat Titans in the last two seasons and he led the side to back-to-back finals, winning the championship in his maiden year and losing a thriller to CSK in 2023.

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Commenting on this announcement Mahela Jayawardene said, "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."

"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," he added.

Rohit's captaincy in IPL

Rohit took charge as the skipper midway through IPL 2013 and led the team to its maiden title when they defeated Chennai Super Kings in the final. Rohit is the fourth-highest run scorer in IPL history with 6211, out of 3986 runs have come as captain - across 157 innings at 129.37 SR with 25 fifties. Rohit then led his side to four more IPL titles. He is surely the best IPL captain alongside CSK leader MS Dhoni.

Hardik, began his IPL career with the Mumbai Indians in 2015 and has scored 1476 runs for the franchise and taken 42 wickets. Pandya became an integral part of the team and was part of MI's title-winning sides in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.