Mumbai Indians lose 400k followers after Hardik Pandya replaces Rohit Sharma as captain

Mumbai Indians, a five-time Indian Premier League champion under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, has named Hardik Pandya as their new captain.

The first of these titles was secured in 2013, with the most recent being in 2020. The decision to appoint Pandya, who has been a part of four IPL victories with MI and one with the Titans, was not well-received by the franchise's fans. This resulted in a loss of 400,000 followers on X, previously known as Twitter, within an hour of the announcement.

Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians, mentioned that the decision is a part of building a legacy and ensuring the team's future readiness. Pandya, who has scored 2309 runs in 123 IPL games and taken 53 wickets, was Rohit Sharma's deputy in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023. He had to leave the tournament due to an ankle injury he sustained while bowling against Bangladesh in Pune.

Following India's loss in the ICC Men's T20I World Cup in Australia the previous year, Pandya was named the T20I captain for India due to his leadership abilities. Whether this will lead to a permanent shift in captaincy for the shortest format for India is yet to be seen.