Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday announced Team India allrounder Hardik Pandya as captain of the team in place of Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma who was appointed Mumbai Indians captain in 2013 turned out to be the most successful captains of the Indians Premier League history. Rohit Sharma's leadership prowess made him at par with World Cup winning skipper MS Dhoni who lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. However, 'in a change of legacy', Mumbai Indians appointed Hardik Pandya as the captain after Rohit Sharma agreed to play under him in the franchise cricket. Interestingly, MI's decision did not go well with the fans and theefore, five-times IPL champions started losing their social media following on a mass level.
As per report, ever since Hardik Pandya has been appointed captain, Mumbai Indians have lost over 5 lakh followers on Instagram. Not only this, Mumbai Indians have been facing a massive hate on social media as well for 'sacking' Rohit Sharma as the captain. Reacting to MI Instagram post, a Rohit Sharma fan wrote, "13.3 to 13 to 12.9 I HOPE IT COMES TOO BELOW 5M." Another user wrote, "I already unfollowed this page...just hate it now" One more user wrote, "The best way to respect Rohit is unfollow mi"
It is pertinent to mention here that Mumbai Indians have 12.7 million followers as of now (While writing).
Why did Mumbai Indians appoint Hardik Pandya as captain?
Mumbai Indians Global Head of Performance, Mahela Jayawardene said, "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."
"We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership; his tenure as the captain of the Mumbai Indians since 2013 has been nothing short of extraordinary. His leadership has not only brought unparalleled success to the team but has also solidified his place as one of the finest captains in the history of the IPL. Under his guidance, MI became one of the most successful and loved teams ever. We will look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field to further strengthen MI," added Jayawardene.