India’s standout all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, has been sidelined since sustaining an ankle injury during the 2023 World Cup, causing him to miss both the home white-ball series against Australia and the December campaign in South Africa.
Initial expectations of Hardik’s recovery before the T20I series against Afghanistan in early January are diminishing, with a recent PTI report indicating that India may once again be without his services. Furthermore, there are concerns that he might also be absent from the IPL 2024 season.
According to an anonymous BCCI source quoted by PTI, there is no current update on Hardik’s fitness status, and doubts persist about his availability for the IPL. This uncertainty is a setback for the Mumbai Indians, who named him captain for the 2024 season after ending Rohit Sharma’s decade-long leadership, which included guiding the franchise to five titles.
Hardik was traded to MI from the Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal in November 2023, sparking intrigue. Recent reports even suggest that his return to Mumbai Indians was contingent on assuming the captaincy role.
During the ICC World Cup 2023, Rohit Sharma was reportedly informed of this decision, choosing to play under Hardik Pandya in the IPL 2024 season. MI’s Global Head of Performance, Mahela Jayawardene, explained the move, stating, “It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready.”
Despite this strategic decision, the announcement of Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit Sharma as captain led to a notable decline in Mumbai Indians’ social media followers, losing over 400k after the news broke.
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