Mumbai Indians (MI) are gearing up for the new Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, under the leadership of skipper Hardik Pandya. Hardik’s appointment as the team’s captain came after the franchise’s bosses decided to relieve Rohit Sharma of his duties. Rohit joined the Mumbai Indians camp on Monday, and immediately started to prepare for the new season in the nets. The Hitman also shared a few pictures from the training session on social media, but there was no caption.
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) March 19, 2024
On Monday, MI captain Hardik Pandya attended a press conference where he spoke on various matters, including the captaincy change at the franchise and Rohit’s new role as a pure batter. He said that if Rohit continues to perform, then MI can reach the last phase of the tournament.
“Rohit has been in a fantastic touch. The way he was hitting the ball against England was fantastic. I am looking forward to see him go out and express himself. If he has a fantastic season, we will be there in the dying stages of the tournament,” Hardik said in the Mumbai Indians’ pre-season press conference.
The MI skipper hailed pacer Jasprit Bumrah and called him a “champion cricketer”.
“Jassi has been our no. 1 bowler and he has been a champion cricketer. Last year, they did miss him and yes he is definitely a leader in the group,” he added.
Asked about his role for MI in the upcoming season, Hardik said that he will play as an “all-rounder”.
“This IPL, I will play as an all-rounder and finish as many games as possible and enjoy the position I have always loved,” he further added.
In November last year, Pandya moved back from Gujarat Titans (GT) to his former franchise as part of a trade between the two franchises. The star all-rounder spent two momentous years with GT, spearheading their campaign in the cash-rich league with confidence. In GT’s debut season in 2022, Hardik got them off to a fairytale start, with the team lifting the coveted trophy.
Pandya also played 92 matches for MI from 2015-2021, scoring 1,476 runs at an average of 27.33 at a strike rate of over 153, with four half-centuries and best score of 91. He also took 42 wickets for the team, with the best bowling figures of 3/20. Pandya has won five IPL trophies, four with MI (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) and GT (2022).
The Mumbai-based franchise will kick off their campaign against Gujarat Titans on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
With ANI inputs
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