Former Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma made his way back to the team's training camp in preparation for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 edition on Monday, March 18. After a brief break following the five-match Test series against England at home, the five-time IPL-winning captain wasted no time and immediately hit the nets to fine-tune his batting skills.
Before the IPL 2024 mini-auction, MI made a significant move by acquiring Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans (GT) in an all-cash deal. Pandya had spent two years with GT after being released by MI before the IPL 2022 mega auction. His tenure with GT saw notable success, winning the IPL 2022 title as captain and leading the team to the finals in the subsequent 2023 season.
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Upon his return to MI, Hardik Pandya was appointed as the new captain of the franchise, replacing Rohit Sharma, who had steered the team to a record five IPL titles during his leadership. This change in MI's captaincy stirred up debates within the cricketing community, with opinions divided on the decision.
Rohit Sharma's return to the MI camp marked his first practice session since being removed from the IPL captaincy. A 30-second video shared by the MI franchise on social media platforms showcased Rohit's brilliance in the nets, demonstrating his trademark shots, including the pull shot.
The five-time IPL champions are scheduled to kick off their IPL 2024 campaign against last year's runners-up, GT, on March 24 at the Narendra Modi International Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, MI has been grappling with multiple injury concerns leading up to their opening fixture.
Star batter Suryakumar Yadav and pacer Dilshan Madhushanka are likely to miss the first game due to injuries, while Australian left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff has been ruled out of the entire tournament with a broken leg. As a replacement, MI secured England left-arm pacer Luke Wood at his base price of 50 lakhs.
