The ten teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are excited to assemble their teams in advance of the competition's seventeenth edition, and the IPL 2024 auction is only a few days away.
The five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI) have announced a leadership change before of the much anticipated season. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has taken Rohit Sharma's place as the team's captain.
After two years, Hardik has rejoined the MI thanks to a player exchange with the Gujarat Titans. With outstanding batting and bowling statistics in their maiden season (2022), the all-rounder guided Gujarat to a championship win. In the 2023 season, he also guided them to their second straight final, when they were defeated by Chennai Super Kings in an exciting last-ball match.
But in an unexpected move prior to the auction, MI acquired Pandya through a player deal in which they gave Gujarat INR 15 crore and an undisclosed transfer fee. By making the transfer, the 30-year-old rejoined the team that had initially supported him throughout his formative years, having acquired him for INR 10 Lakh at the 2015 auction.
Meanwhile, Pandya’s succession as the captain of MI is a major move by the franchise. Mumbai is once again looking a formidable side eyeing to script their sixth glorious chapter of their illustrious IPL history.