Credit: X
Hardik Pandya, the newly appointed captain of the Mumbai Indians, joined the camp of the five-time champions ahead of the IPL 2024 season. The 30-year-old also performed “puja” inside the MI dressing room, seeking the blessings of God, to lead the franchise into the future after taking over from Rohit Sharma, one of the greatest IPL captains of all time.
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After captaining Gujarat Titans to two IPL finals in back-to-back seasons, winning the trophy in 2022, Hardik Pandya made his triumphant return to Mumbai Indians, where his professional cricket career took shape. During his first stint with MI from 2015 to 2021, he was one of the most instrumental players for the franchise in winning the trophy four times.
In the video posted by Mumbai Indians on their official X platform, Hardik Pandya was seen putting a garland on God’s portrait before lighting up a diya lamp. Meanwhile, Mark Boucher, the head coach of MI, was spotted breaking the coconut with his bare hands, which is considered a good omen to start something auspicious.
Notably, the announcement from Mumbai Indians to replace Rohit Sharma, who led the franchise to five IPL titles, in the captaincy role with Hardik Pandya, garnered a lot of criticism on social media. It will be very interesting to see how Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma, who are still integral parts of MI, manage to take the franchise forward in the IPL 2024 amidst all the fervour surrounding the captaincy transfer.
Here is Hardik Pandya performing "Puja" on his return to Mumbai Indians:
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