The Mumbai Indians (MI) confirmed the replacement for skipper Rohit Sharma just days before the Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction for season 2024. Following his surprise transfer to MI from 2022 winners Gujarat Titans (GT), all-rounder Hardik Pandya was named as the new leader of the record-time title winners. Pandya, Rohit’s deputy at Team India, played a major role in helping MI to win four IPL titles between 2015 and 2021.

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, who is pleased to see Rohit return as a pure batter for the world’s richest T20 league, believes the leadership shift at MI makes “a lot of cricketing sense.” We should not be thinking sentimentally or emotionally about Rohit. It is a good move by Mumbai Indians because Hardik is a proven leader and player, Manjrekar said.

Hardik is your in-form T20 captain and player and Rohit has been around for a long time. I just hope that Hardik does not feel the pressure due to the way this has happened. Rohit Sharma will be the same batter. If he continues to be the pure batter and not a captain, I don’t mind the leadership change at all, Manjrekar added.

Mumbai became the most successful team in IPL history under Rohit’s captaincy. Only MI and CSK have won five IPL titles. Rohit led the Mumbai Indians in 158 IPL matches. As captain, Rohit won 87 games while MI lost 67 of them. In 243 IPL matches, the 36-year-old opener has scored 6,211 runs.