The Rohit Sharma influence: MI loses 400k followers as Hardik Pandya takes over as team captain

Hardik Pandya has been named captain of the Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season, which comes as a surprise. This choice came soon after the team announced that Hardik Pandya would be returning in an all-cash deal with the Gujarat Titans, which is rarely seen during the IPL. Hardik Pandya, who has been named the new captain, will take over for Rohit Sharma, who helped MI win an incredible five IPL championships during his successful stint for over a decade.

3 things you need to know 

• Hardik Pandya becomes the new captain of Mumbai Indians
• Rohit Sharma led the Mumbai Indians to five IPL trophies
• Pandya was the captain of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022 and 2023

Also Read: MI reveal reason behind removing Rohit as captain

Mumbai Indians lose 400k followers  after the announcement of their new captain

When it was announced that Hardik Pandya would be the new captain of the Mumbai Indians in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024 season, the team lost 400,000 Twitter fans in just one hour. India's five-time IPL champion Rohit Sharma will no longer be captain after Pandya was named on December 15. This is a big change in leadership.

Since 2013, Rohit Sharma has been in charge of the Mumbai Indians and won a record-setting five wins. Mahendra Singh Dhoni later tied this record in the IPL in 2023. But Sharma will not be leading the team in IPL 2024. He hasn't played in a T20I for India since they lost in the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup. Sharma will return to cricket in the two-match Test series against South Africa, starting on December 26. He took a break from the game after India's heartbreaking loss in the 2023 World Cup final. Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians, stated: 

"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 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. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season," 

Also Read: No one can be compared to Dhoni: KL Rahul

Will Hardik Pandya lead MI to glory?

Hardik Pandya is back with the Mumbai Indians after two years as captain of the Gujarat Titans. He is returning to the team where he made his IPL debut. In Pandya's first season as captain, the Gujarat Titans beat the Rajasthan Royals in the final of the IPL 2022 and won the title. Notably, Pandya's great play in the final won him the player of the match award. He scored 34 runs and took 3 wickets, making a big difference with both bat and ball.

With the team again making it to the final in 2023, Pandya continued to lead them admirably. But in an exciting last-ball match, MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings beat the Gujarat Titans by a small margin.