Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday, December 15, announced Hardik Pandya as their new skipper for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The all-rounder replaced Rohit Sharma, who emerged as one of the most successful captains in the T20 League, guiding the franchise to five IPL trophies and one Champions League title.
The development came weeks after MI traded Cameron Green to the Royal Challengers Bangalore to get ex-Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya during the IPL trade window following the retentions.
Several MI fans, however, did not like the move and expressed their disappointment. One of the fans even burnt MI’s jersey to express his anger. The user tagged the Mumbai-based franchise on X (formerly known as Twitter) and captioned the post:
“You deserve this.”
For the unversed, Rohit is the second most successful captain in IPL after MS Dhoni in terms of victories. The 36-year-old led MI to 87 wins in 158 matches at a win percentage of 55.06.
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya led GT to the IPL trophy in their inaugural season. Under his leadership, the Ahmedabad-based franchise also reached the IPL 2023 final but lost to eventual winners Chennai Super Kings. As skipper, he led the Titans to 22 wins in 31 matches at a win percentage of 70.96.
You can watch the video here: https://twitter.com/Shreyassp11/status/1735749215882731608
Under his guidance, MI became one of the most successful and loved teams ever” – Mahela Jayawardena lauds Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians Global Head of Performance, Mahela Jayawardena, expressed gratitude to Rohit Sharma for taking the franchise to new heights during his decade-long captaincy stint. 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.”
Jayawardena 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.”
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