The shift of Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians has created a lot of buzz. Mumbai Indians have replaced Hardik Pandya as the captain for the 2024 IPL. While some fans have accepted the team's decision, others, especially fans of Rohit Sharma, are disappointed. Mumbai Indians' official fan page has lost many followers on Instagram. The captain of the Mumbai Indians has denied reports that Rohit Sharma will return to lead the team at next year's T20 World Cup. When coming to Mumbai Indians, Hardik had one condition: he would return to Mumbai only if he was made the captain. This is why they made a change in leadership, considering that they haven't won the IPL for the past three years. Veteran batsman Sunil Gavaskar believes that Hardik's return shows that Pandya's heart has always been with MI.
Gavaskar stated that there are speculations as to why Pandya wanted to leave GT and come back to MI, but there are many instances of very successful Indians overseas who have preferred to give all that up and come back home. Pandya has a soft spot for MI and considers it as his home. Mumbai Indians have always created a homely atmosphere. Gavaskar further continued that whoever left this franchise had never said anything bad about it.
Pandya, who was traded from Gujarat Titans in November this year, will replace Rohit Sharma. The latter had been at the helm of the side since 2013, taking over from Ricky Ponting. "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,” Jayawardene added. Back in 2013, after MI had got off to a poor start under the captaincy of Ricky Ponting, the franchise turned to Rohit Sharma to lead them. This decision resulted in their first-ever league title. Since then, Rohit has led the team to four more titles – the joint-most for any captain alongside MS Dhoni.
