Among the current crop of Indian cricket players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli possess the most passionate, at least on social media. And Friday it was all out in the open. After, Hardik Pandya became captain of the Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League, some Rohit supporters have been devastated by this news.
The biggest IPL coup ever was pulled off by MI, who traded Hardik back from the Gujarat Titans one day following the retention window concluded. Four days before the IPL auction, on Friday, MI announced a change in leadership. Furthermore, social media was exploding immediately as the news broke.
Since 2013, when the franchise won their first of five IPL championships, Rohit has been the team captain. Most recently, he guided India into the ODI World Cup 2023 final. Under Rohit’s leadership, they added championships in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. In the IPL 2023, the Mumbai Indians advanced to the playoffs despite having a poor bowling line-up.
Before departing to lead the Gujarat Titans, Hardik played a significant part in Mumbai’s incredible IPL run. He was crucial in helping the team win between 2015 and 2021. He guided them to a runners-up position earlier this year and to victory in their IPL debut in 2022. Some Rohit supporters did not see MI’s decision with the appropriate humility. Videos of burned MI hats and jerseys went viral and is certainly doing the rounds on social media.
A Rohit Sharma fan burns the Mumbai Indians jersey. pic.twitter.com/WItos5hL4H
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 16, 2023
“Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians” : Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene wrote in a statement announcing this decision of the franchise and team management. He said, “Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future.
The former Mumbai Indians head coach added, “It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season.”
