"Rohit Sharma deserved better."
Hardik Pandya has replaced Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain for the 2024 Indian Premier League.
After announcing the news, Mumbai Indians paid tribute to Rohit:
“Ro, In 2013 you took over as captain of MI. You asked us to believe.
“In victories and defeats, you asked us to smile. 10 years and 6 trophies later, here we are.
“Our forever captain your legacy will be etched in Blue and Gold. Thank you, Captain RO.”
Rohit is the IPL’s joint-most successful captain, alongside MS Dhoni.
He is still expected to play for Mumbai Indians.
Mahela Jayawardene, Mumbai’s global head of performance, said:
“It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready.
“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.”
However, the decision has not been well-received.
Within an hour of the announcement, Mumbai Indians lost 400,000 followers on X.
One said: “I don’t have an Instagram account, so created one, followed MI just to unfollow them.
“Deleted Instagram again.”
Another wrote: “Rohit Sharma deserved better.”
A comment read: “Rohit Sharma fans are boycotting Jio Sim after what they did with Rohit Sharma.
“No disrespect will be tolerated!”
Some fans even destroyed their Jio SIM cards. Both Jio and the Mumbai Indians are owned by the Ambanis.
Mumbai had recently drafted Hardik from the Gujarat Titans, who he captained to the IPL title in 2022 and final in 2023.
When rumours of Hardik returning to Mumbai were circulating, former India opener Aakash Chopra observed on his YouTube channel:
“A rumour is doing the rounds that Hardik is moving towards Mumbai. It has been heard, no confirmation has come.
“If he is leaving, firstly Gujarat are releasing him – won once and reached the final in next season.
“If he is leaving, will he be made Mumbai’s captain? Why would you go if you are not being made the captain?”
Mumbai’s decision might be a shock but it fits with the franchise’s pattern of switching between captains.
Hardik Pandya will be Mumbai’s fifth captain since they were founded in 2008, following Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Ricky Ponting and Rohit Sharma.
Rohit has won 87 out of 158 matches as captain in the IPL at a win rate of 55.06%.
The 2024 IPL begins on March 23 and concludes on May 29.
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