NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians announced on Friday that Hardik Pandya will be taking over the captaincy for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.
Hardik replaces a highly-successful Rohit Sharma, who led the franchise to five IPL titles.
The development comes after Hardik returned to his former franchise last month from Gujarat Titans.
Following a successful two-year stint at Gujarat -- where Hardik took the side to 2 finals and winning one of them in 2022 -- the all-rounder returned to Mumbai in a high-profile trade ahead of the December 19 auction.
In a statement, Mumbai Indians said the change in leadership was part of their future planning and thanked Rohit for his exemplary service to the franchise.
Mumbai Indians are the most successful IPL franchise alongside Chennai Super Kings who both have won five titles each.
Commenting on Hardik's appointment, Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians 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."
Rohit, who recently led India to the ODI World Cup final, had been captaining the franchise since 2013 when they lifted first of their five IPL trophies.
The other titles under Rohit's captaincy came in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Mumbai Indians had made it to the play-offs in IPL 2023.
"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.
1/10:IPL: Hardik Pandya replaces Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain
PTI
2/10:Mumbai Indians
<p>Mumbai Indians on Friday announced that they had replaced their hugely successful captain Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya. </p>PTI
3/10:Rohit Sharma
<p>Mumbai Indians won all five of their IPL trophies under Rohit Sharma. </p>
4/10:Back to MI
<p>The move comes less than a month after Mumbai Indians announced that Hardik had returned to their fold following a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans. </p>Getty Images
5/10:T20 World Cup
<p>The move comes at a time when there is much speculation over who will lead India in the T20 World Cup in June in the West Indies and USA — Rohit or Hardik. </p>Getty Images
6/10:T20 captain
<p>Hardik was named India's T20 captain after leading Gujarat Titans to the title in their maiden IPL season. </p>
7/10:Rohit's IPL form
<p>Rohit's IPL form has declined substantially in recent years. In 2021, he scored 381 runs 13 matches, with just one fifty. </p>TNN
8/10:2022 and 2023
<p>In 2022, it was even worse with 268 runs in 14 matches, with no fifty. In 2023, Rohit scored 332 runs in 16 games, with two fifties. </p>TNN
9/10:Set to move?
<p>While it is expected that Rohit will now play under Pandya in MI, it will not be a surprise if he moves to another franchise later on. </p>
10/10:The future
<p>The massive shift in Rohit's role at MI also raises questions about the 36-year-old's future in the shortest format. </p>TNN"We welcome Hardik Pandya as the new captain of MI and wish him all the very best," added Jayawardene.
Hardik contributed to Mumbai's glorious run in the IPL, playing a key role in the team's triumph between 2015 and 2021 before leaving to captain the Titans. He led them to the title on its IPL debut in 2022 and to a runners-up finish earlier this year.
The significant development also raises questions about Rohit's future in the shortest format. The 36-year-old was left heartbroken after India fell short in the final hurdle against Australia in the ODI World Cup at home after winning 10 games on the trot.
Another ODI World Cup appearance seems unlikely but he could be back to lead India in the T20 World Cup in six months' time.
Interestingly, Rohit and Virat Kohli have not turned up for India in the T20 format since the semifinal exit at the World Cup in Australia last year.
(With inputs from PTI)
