Pandya replaces Rohit as Mumbai Indians captain

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya will succeed Rohit Sharma as the new captain of the Mumbai Indians from the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), announced the franchise today. 

The leadership change comes less than a month after Mumbai brought Hardik back after he had captained Gujarat Titans to a title and a runners-up finish in back-to-back seasons.

Pandya replaces Rohit, who led Mumbai to five IPL titles and is the joint-most-successful captain in the tournament's history alongside Chennai Super Kings' MS Dhoni.

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

"Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin [Tendulkar] to Harbhajan [Singh] and Ricky [Ponting] 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."

Rohit, who is still part of the Mumbai Indians squad, led the franchise 163 times in the IPL and the Champions League T20, winning 91 games, tieing four and losing 68.