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RCB (Source: Twitter)
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MI secured the services of all-rounder Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans (GT) after his highly successful two-year tenure with the newcomers. In a surprising move, the franchise not only acquired Pandya but also appointed him as the captain, replacing the widely regarded best IPL captain of all time, Rohit Sharma. The decision to appoint Hardik Pandya as the captain of MI came as a significant surprise to fans who anticipated Rohit Sharma continuing in the leadership role for at least a couple more years before handing over the reins to Hardik.
According to recent reports in the Indian Express, it was revealed that Hardik had set a condition for his return to the franchise, insisting on being appointed as the captain, and the franchise agreed to this condition. The fanbase has expressed discontent with Hardik's captaincy appointment, leading to Mumbai Indians losing over a million followers on social media. Taking to the Twitter, RCB official tweet read;
“Dropping Soon: “LOYALTY is ROYALTY” – 2024 #RCBXPuma Athleisure Collection. An ode to the best and the most loyal fans! We’re grateful for your unwavering support.”
Dropping Soon: “LOYALTY is ROYALTY” - 2024 #RCBXPuma Athleisure Collection
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) December 16, 2023
An ode to the best and the most loyal fans! We’re grateful for your unwavering support. #PlayBold @pumacricket pic.twitter.com/4ZRWwaFUHr
Amid captaincy controversy MI lost 400k followers
Within an hour of announcing Hardik Pandya as the new captain for the Indian Premier League 2024 season, the five-time IPL Champions had experienced a significant drop of 400,000 followers on Twitter. The announcement came on December 15, with Pandya taking over the captaincy from the legendary Rohit Sharma.
Rohit Sharma had led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles since 2013, a record equaled by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in IPL 2023 will not be captaining the franchise in IPL 2024. Despite his success, the current India Test Captain hasn't played T20Is for India since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final loss, will step down. After a break following India's World Cup 2023 final loss, Rohit is expected to make a return in the 2-match Test series against South Africa starting on December 26.