Hardik Pandya will remain captain of the Mumbai Indians going into the IPL 2025, reports have suggested. Hardik Pandya had replaced five-time IPL trophy-winning MI captain Rohit Sharma ahead of IPL 2024 after he was traded in from Gujarat Titans.
The Blue and the Gold franchise on December 15, 2023, announced Hardik Pandya as their skipper, who succeeded its longest-serving, and one of the most successful captains Rohit Sharma.
“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,” MI’s Global head of Performance, Mahela Jayawardene said.
It was a huge 17-crore deal between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans as the MI franchise paid all cash for Hardik, Notably, Hardik was scouted by the MI franchise and made his debut in the IPL 2015 under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.’
Pandya went on to become one of the staple players of the MI franchise, forming a killer finishing lineup with Kieron Pollard and his brother Krunal Pandya. Pandya has played 106 matches for MI and scored 1692 runs at a strike rate of 152.43 and best score of 91. With the ball, Hardik picked 53 wickets for MI with an economy of 9.40.
Mumbai Indians to retain Hardik Pandya as captain for IPL 2025
Despite such a great record, Hardik Pandya was released by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 auction and Gujarat Titans drafted the all-rounder in their squad and named him captain. Hardik Pandya stepped up as captain and led GT to the IPL 2022 title.
The next year in IPL 2023, Gujarat Titans lost to Chennai Super Kings in the final, but Hardik Pandya received huge praise for his captaincy. Hence the MI splurged on getting Hardik Pandya back, who also wanted to return to his home franchise.
However, Hardik’s first stint as MI captain proved to be a disaster, as the fans didn’t accept him as captain and booed him wherever MI played. This included the Wankhede Stadium, home of the MI team.
Under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, MI finished last on the points table. The side won four of their 14 matches, finishing last with only eight points in IPL 2024.
But despite this, the MI franchise seemed to keep their faith in Hardik. According to famous writer Vaibhav Bola, Hardik Pandya will continue to lead the team in the IPL 2025.
❗️ Breaking News ❗️
Hardik Pandya Will Remain Our Captain, There Will Be No Change – Mumbai Indians pic.twitter.com/uNKyEqgGru
— Vaibhav Bhola 🇮🇳 (@VibhuBhola) September 2, 2024
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