'Your legacy will be etched in Blue & Gold' - Mumbai Indians express gratitude towards 'forever captain' Rohit Sharma

In an unexpected move, Mumbai Indians (MI), one of the most successful franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) alongside the Chennai Super Kings, have made a surprising decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the captain for the upcoming edition. Since taking over the captaincy in 2013, Rohit led the team to an impressive five IPL titles, making him the most successful captain in the tournament's history, a record he shares with MS Dhoni who also has five title wins as captain.

Rohit, with a remarkable track record in the lucrative league, has amassed 6211 runs, including one century and 42 half-centuries. The 36-year-old currently stands as the fourth-highest run-scorer, trailing behind Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and David Warner. Following the announcement of the captaincy change, MI expressed their gratitude and appreciation for Rohit, their leading run-scorer, through a heartfelt post on social media.

"Ro, In 2013 you took over as captain of MI. You asked us to 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞. In victories & defeats, you asked us to 𝘚𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦. 10 years & 6 trophies later, here we are. Our 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧, your legacy will be etched in Blue & Gold. Thank you, 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐎," the franchise captioned the post on their 'X' handle.

See MI's latest post here:

Ro,
In 2013 you took over as captain of MI. You asked us to 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞. In victories & defeats, you asked us to 𝘚𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦. 10 years & 6 trophies later, here we are. Our 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧, your legacy will be etched in Blue & Gold. Thank you, 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐎💙 pic.twitter.com/KDIPCkIVop

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 15, 2023

Mumbai Indians announce Hardik Pandya as captain for IPL 2024

On Friday, December 15, the Mumbai Indians officially announced Hardik Pandya as the captain for the upcoming IPL 2024 season. This decision followed Hardik's recent return to the franchise after a high-profile trade from the Gujarat Titans, where he served as the captain in the previous two IPL editions. The franchise emphasized that the leadership change was a strategic move for their future plans.

Rohit Sharma, who recently led India to the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final, where they were defeated by Australia, is currently preparing for the two-match Test series against South Africa. This series is a part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.