Hardik Pandya will captain the Mumbai Indians for the upcoming Indian Premier League season, replacing India's Test skipper Rohit Sharma.

Rohit is the competition's joint-most successful captain, alongside MS Dhoni.

He is expected to still play for Mumbai.

"It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready," said Mumbai's global head of performance Mahela Jayawardene.

"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."

Mumbai had recently drafted Pandya from Gujarat Titans, who he captained to the IPL title in 2022 and final in 2023, with the long-term view of him replacing Rohit as captain.

The decision from Mumbai is perhaps a shock, but it fits with the franchise's pattern of switching between captains. Pandya will be Mumbai's fifth captain since they were founded in 2008, following Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Ricky Ponting and then Rohit.

Rohit has won 87 out of 158 matches as captain in the IPL at a win rate of 55.06%.

The 2024 IPL starts on 23 March, 2024 and ends on 29 May.

Source: BBC

BDST: 1226 HRS, DEC 16, 2023
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