Rohit Sharma was informed about Hardik Pandya's demand of MI captaincy - Reports

Rohit Sharma has been replaced by Hardik Pandya as MI captain for the IPL 2024.

The biggest talking point currently in Indian cricket is Mumbai Indians changing the leader of their squad for the upcoming season of IPL 2024. On Friday, 15th December, Mumbai Indians made announcement of Rohit Sharma being replaced by all-rounder Hardik Pandya as captain of the team for the upcoming season. Pandya has just come in from Gujarat Titans in a trade deal between the two franchises. MI fans were also disappointed with the way the leadership change announcement came in. 

According to a few media reports, Mumbai Indians informed captain Rohit Sharma about the change that was coming within the camp before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. The Indian Express reported that five-time IPL champion skipper Rohit has also accepted to play under Hardik Pandya who will be leading the side in the IPL 2024. Rohit is also not part of the T20I side of the Indian cricket team. 

Hardik Pandya’s demand!

It is also said that when Mumbai Indians were approaching Hardik Pandya for a trade deal, the all-rounder put a straightforward demand for captaincy to which Mumbai Indians agreed. Mumbai Indians also made Rohit Sharma aware of the decision before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 which was played in October and November this year. Pandya has represented Mumbai Indians from the IPL 2015 to IPL 2021. 

After spending 7 IPL seasons with Mumbai Indians, Pandya was released by MI before the mega auction and then made a move to Gujarat Titans as draft pick and he was made skipper of the team. Gujarat Titans won the title under Pandya’s captaincy in the IPL 2022 and finished as runners-up in the IPL 2023 season. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians struggled in the IPL 2022 but somehow managed to qualify for the playoffs in the next season. MI finished 10th in the IPL 2022. 

MI fans are disappointed with the way this announcement was done via just one tweet. Mumbai Indians tweeted, “Ro, In 2013 you took over as captain of MI. You asked us to Believe. In victories & defeats, you asked us to Smile. 10 years & 6 trophies later, here we are. Our forever captain, your legacy will be etched in Blue and gold. Thank you, Captain RO.” This decision is also a big statement on Rohit’s T20 career. 

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