Hardik Pandya replaces Rohit Sharma as MI captain

In Short

• Mumbai Indians lost 400k followers on Twitter on December 15
• MI announced Hardik Pandya as their new captain ahead of IPL 2024
• Rohit Sharma stepped down from the captaincy mantle after 10 years

Mumbai Indians lost 400,000 followers on Twitter an hour within an hour of announcing Hardik Pandya as their new captain ahead of the Indian Premier League 2024 season. Pandya was announced as the new captain of the side on December 15. The former Gujarat Titans captain would be taking over from legendary Rohit Sharma, who has five IPL titles to his name.

Sharma had been at the helm of Mumbai Indians since 2013 and won a record number of titles - 5, which was equaled by Mahendra Singh Dhon in IPL 2023. Sharma, who has not played T20Is for India since 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final loss against India will not be leading his franchise from IPL 2024. The India captain took a break from cricket after India's heartbreaking loss in the final of World Cup 2023 and is set to return in the 2-match Test series against South Africa, which starts on 26 December.

Mumbai Indians announced the change of guard in the evening of 15 December.

"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," Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said.

Hardik Pandya, who debuted in the IPL for Mumbai Indians returns to the franchise after 2 years of captaining Gujarat Titans. Pandya led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their debut season, where they beat Rajasthan Royals in the final of IPL 2022. Hardik Pandya was named the player of the match in the final, after he picked up 3 wickets and scored 34 runs. Pandya did well with the franchise in 2023 as well, leading them to the final, where they lost to MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in a last-ball thriller.

Ye toh shuruaat hai

This was speculated the day MI announced that they were in talks with GT to get Hardik back.

All the best to both of them. 

Cheers..

https://www.iplt20.com/news/3983/ipl-2024-player-auction-list-announced 

https://www.iplt20.com/auction

Here is the complete breakdown of the IPL 2024 player auction list, highlighting the set number, base price, and country of all 333 players.

The roster for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 player auction was unveiled on late Monday evening, with as many as 333 players featuring on the list, all slated to go under the gavel on December 19. The proceedings will be held in Dubai, making it a first ever IPL auction to be staged outside India.

Here is the full list of 333 players up for grabs at the IPL 2024 auction and their base price

Out of the 333 players listed for the mini-auction, 214 are Indians while 119 are overseas players and remaining two from associate countries. Moreover, 116 of the total players who will be up for grabs next Tuesday are capped cricketers and 215 are uncapped.

A maximum of 70 slots are available combining the 10 franchises of the IPL, of which 30 are for overseas players. Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will have the most slots to fill (12), while it will be 2022 winner Gujarat Titans who will enter the auction with the biggest purse (38.15 crore).INR 2 crore is the highest reserve price at the auction, with 23 players opting to be part of the bracket, while 13 players have a base price of INR 1.5 crore.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/ipl-2024-auction-full-list-of-333-players-up-for-grabs-and-their-base-price-101702354221749.html

https://cricket.one/cricket-news/hardik-pandya-doubtful-for-ipl-2024-due-to-injury-concerns/658698a5748ff40b488b9919