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IPL 2024 Cricket

'You'll suffer more MI Paltan' - Fans react as Mumbai Indians lose lakhs of followers after replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain

The outrage was also seen offline as a video of fans burning MI's jersey and cap went viral on social media.

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Mathew K
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Rohit Sharma (Source: Twitter)

Rohit Sharma (Source: Twitter)

Mumbai Indians (MI) have begun to see the repercussions of replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as their captain. On Friday, the Mumbai-based franchise dropped a bombshell by announcing Pandya as their new captain ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). This shocking and unexpected move by one of the franchises with a massive fanbase has caused a wave of disappointment among the supporters. 

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In what could be called a social media protest, the franchise lost lakhs of followers across its social media platforms. Within hours of the announcement, MI lost over 1.5 lakh followers on Instagram. #ShameonMI is still trending on X (formerly known as Twitter) with many fans declaring that they are no longer a MI supporter. 

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The outrage was also seen offline as a video of fans burning MI's jersey and cap went viral on social media. After Sachin Tendulkar retired from all formats of cricket, Rohit has been the biggest cause of fan support for MI. The move will surely have an impact on social media for a few days and it remains to be seen whether there will be a shortage of supporters at the venue where MI will be playing in IPL 2024. 

MI became one of the most successful teams under his guidance: Mahela Jayawardene lauds Rohit 

Rohit joined MI from Deccan Chargers back in 2011 and received the captaincy baton from legendary Ricky Ponting halfway stage of the 2013 season. In his captaincy debut season itself, Rohit led the team to their maiden title and added four more silverware in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 editions. He is one of the best captains in the history of the league.

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Commenting on this captaincy transition, MI's Global Head of Performance, Mahela Jayawardene said: "We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership; his tenure as the captain of the Mumbai Indians since 2013 has been nothing short of extraordinary. His leadership has not only brought unparalleled success to the team but has also solidified his place as one of the finest captains in the history of the IPL. Under his guidance, MI became one of the most successful and loved teams ever. We will look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field to further strengthen MI. 

Here's how fans reacted to Mumbai Indians losing lakhs of followers after removing Rohit Sharma from the captaincy:

Rohit Sharma Hardik Pandya featured IPL 2024 MI