IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians Appoints Hardik Pandya As Skipper After His Return

Within a month after Hardik Pandya was brought to his original franchise, Mumbai Indians, for the 17th edition of the Indian Premium League (IPL), he was announced as the skipper of the team.

Pandya will take over from Rohit Sharma, who led the team for 10 years of thrilling highs. Rohit, who led Mumbai to five IPL titles, is the joint-most-successful captain in the tournament's history alongside Chennai Super Kings' MS Dhoni.

This announcement comes a month after he was brought back to his original franchise. #RohitSharma𓃵 #HardikPandya #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/bRD7C12aHx

— Mumbai Live (@MumbaiLiveNews) December 15, 2023

It is well-versed that he had captained Gujarat Titans to a title and a runners-up finish in back-to-back seasons. MI said they made this decision to stay "future-ready".

Hardik, who led Gujarat Titans to IPL crown in 2022, was traded back to Mumbai Indians after two years last month. In 2023, he added to his leadership resume when he took Titans to a second-straight final in IPL 2023 where they lost to Chennai Super Kings.

"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," said Mahela Jayawardene.

It is pertinent to note that the defending champions team 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.

Rohit Sharma played 158 matches in the IPL and won 87 out of them. Meanwhile, Pandya was a part of MI from 2015 to 2021, making 92 appearances. MI, however, released the all-rounder ahead of the 2022 mega auction where Titans signed him.