On Friday evening it was announced that Rohit Sharma will be no seen as the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The management has chosen Hardik Pandya as the new skipper of Mumbai for the upcoming edition.
This news has not only disheartened the fans of MI but also the star batter of Mumbai Indians, Suryakumar Yadav. Suryakumar has been part of the franchise for eight years(2012-2013 and then 2018-Present). In these years he has played under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
Suryakumar Yadav has posted a ‘Broken Heart’ on both his Twitter and Instagram accounts. Fans are clearly connecting it to Rohit’s removal from the captaincy.
💔
— Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar) December 16, 2023
In another bizarre incident, a fan of Rohit Sharma uploaded a video where he was seen burning the cap of MI in grief. This video is getting viral on social media and all over the internet.
A Rohit Sharma fan burns the Mumbai Indians' cap. pic.twitter.com/FtlTI20VvY
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 15, 2023
Hardik Pandya was traded back to Mumbai Indians two weeks ago during the player’s retention period. Earlier he served as the captain of the Gujarat Titans in the 2022 and 2023 editions. In 2022, Gujarat Titans lifted the trophy in the captaincy of Pandya while reaching the finals this year.
The strategy of MI behind replacing Rohit Sharma could be the longer vision for the team citing the age factor of the batter. Rohit is currently standing at 36 and he is on the verge of the end of his career. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya is young and energetic and could captain the team for several years.
Not to forget, Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain in the history of the Indian Premier League, and under his captaincy, Mumbai has lifted the title five times, particularly in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.
Rohit Sharma has captained Mumbai Indians in 158 matches and won 87 of them. He lost 67 matches and has a win percentage of 55.06.
Download the CricInformer app
Take CricInformer with you. Get our app for cricket news and updates on your phone.