Rohit Sharma led his franchise to win the 5 IPL titles before stepping down as a captain of Mumbai Indians.

New Delhi: Mumbai Indians (MI), the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, announced on Friday that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be leading the team in the 2024 edition of the league. After announcing their new skipper, the five-time champions uploaded a video on their official social handle, ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter), to pay tribute to Indian captain Rohit Sharma.

Earlier this year, former Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya moved to his former franchise, MI, after a trade deal between the two sides in November. However, the all-rounder spent two years with the GT side and helped them win the IPL title in the 2022 edition.

In their 2023, former captain Hardik ensured that they finished runners-up in their second season after a last-ball defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a thrilling final.

In a heartwarming gesture, the MI franchise uploaded a video with the caption “Ro, In 2013 you took over as captain of MI. You asked us to . In victories & defeats, you asked us to . 10 years & 6 trophies later, here we are. Our , your legacy will be etched in Blue & Gold. Thank you, .”

Ro,

In 2013 you took over as captain of MI. You asked us to . In victories & defeats, you asked us to . 10 years & 6 trophies later, here we are. Our , your legacy will be etched in Blue & Gold. Thank you, pic.twitter.com/KDIPCkIVop

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 15, 2023

In 31 matches for GT from 2022-23, Pandya scored 833 runs at an average of 37.86 and a strike rate of over 133, with six half-centuries and a best score of 87*. He also had 11 wickets for the team, with the best figures of 3/17.

Pandya also played 92 matches for MI from 2015-2021, scoring 1,476 runs at an average of 27.33 at a strike rate of over 153, with four half-centuries and best score of 91. He also took 42 wickets for the team, with the best bowling figures of 3/20.

Commenting on this transition Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said, “It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. 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.”

“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.”

“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. We welcome Hardik Pandya as the new captain of MI and wish him all the very best,” concluded Mahela.