(Reuters) – Mumbai Indians have announced that Hardik Pandya will take over as captain from Rohit Sharma for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, despite re-signing the all-rounder just last month.
Pandya, who previously helped Mumbai to win four IPL titles from 2015 to 2021, led the Gujarat Titans to the title in their debut season in 2022 and was also the captain of the team that finished as runners-up to the Chennai Super Kings this year.
However, the 30-year-old expressed his desire to return to Mumbai Indians, which led to an additional 150 million rupees ($1,806,546) being added to Gujarat’s funds ahead of the IPL auction on Tuesday.
“It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready,” said Mahela Jayawardene, Mumbai’s global head of performance, in a statement.
“Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin Tendulkar to Harbhajan Singh and Ricky Ponting 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.”
Pandya’s rise to Mumbai captain brings an end to Rohit’s era with the franchise, where they won the IPL title five times between 2013 and 2020. Rohit is also the captain of the Indian national team.
“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,” the team said.
($1 = 83.03 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
