The newly appointed captain, Hardik Pandya, expressed his joy at returning to Mumbai Indians ahead of the upcoming IPL 2024, scheduled to commence on March 22. Pandya, who made his IPL debut with Mumbai Indians in 2015, played six seasons before moving to Gujarat Titans, where he clinched his first IPL title as captain in 2022. Under his leadership, GT reached the IPL final for two consecutive years but narrowly lost to Chennai Super Kings in 2023.

In a surprising turn of events, Hardik Pandya was traded back to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Giants in an all-cash deal worth INR 15 crore before being appointed as captain, succeeding five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma. The news was revealed in a video shared by Mumbai Indians on their social media handle.

Expressing his emotions, Hardik Pandya shared, "The feeling of wearing this color (Mumbai Indians jersey) is very special for me. Journey started here. Coming back and playing is always going to be special." He added, "We'll play a brand of cricket which all will be proud of, and at the same point of time, that's going to be a ride which no one will forget."

Having played a crucial role in Mumbai Indians' four IPL title victories in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, Hardik Pandya has accumulated 1,476 runs at an average of 27.33, including four half-centuries, and picked 42 wickets in 92 matches for the franchise.

Former Mumbai Indians spinner believes that the decision to appoint Hardik Pandya as captain might have been made for the betterment of the team, despite it possibly coming as a surprise to Rohit Sharma, who led MI to five IPL titles. "I hope it's for the betterment of the Mumbai Indians going forward. You know, Rohit has been a true leader and a champion player for Mumbai Indians and India as well," the former spinner remarked.