Hardik Pandya MI captain: From playing under MS Dhoni to SKY, Bumrah's cryptic post; how Rohit Sharma's sacking triggered THESE rumours

Just ahead of the mini-auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 in Dubai, the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise made a significant decision by replacing Rohit Sharma as their captain and appointing Hardik Pandya as his successor. This move sparked a flurry of rumours and discussions within the cricketing community.

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Following the captaincy shift, various speculations started circulating, with notable trends emerging on social media platforms. Fans of Rohit Sharma took to unfollowing MI accounts, and some even expressed the desire for the 'Hitman' to part ways with the franchise.

Let's delve into the rumours that have been circulating:

1. Rohit Sharma sacked via Instagram Post:

The removal of Rohit Sharma as the captain continued to generate buzz on social media. While the MI management engaged in discussions with Sharma to ensure a smooth leadership transition, rumours persisted that Sharma learned about his removal through an Instagram post.

2. Sachin Tendulkar parts ways as MI Mentor:

Another rumour suggested that Sachin Tendulkar, a longstanding mentor for MI, had parted ways with the franchise after Rohit Sharma's captaincy change. However, this rumour was debunked, confirming Tendulkar's continued association with Mumbai Indians for the upcoming season. 

3. Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah's cryptic posts:

Middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav and pacer Jasprit Bumrah added to the intrigue with cryptic social media posts. Suryakumar shared a broken heart emoji, while Bumrah's post conveyed the message, "Silence is sometimes the best answer."

4. Rohit Sharma's potential absence from IPL 2024:

Speculation arose about Rohit Sharma's future with MI, hinting at a possible absence from the IPL in 2024 pending a transfer to another team. MI strongly refuted these rumours, emphasizing that no MI player would be leaving or traded. "Rohit is not going anywhere, nor will any player," said a senior MI official to Cricbuzz during the auction at the Coca-Cola Arena. "The news reports are fake and false. No MI player will be leaving us, nor will be traded by us."

5. Rohit Sharma to Play Under MS Dhoni:

Reports of Rohit being traded to another franchise led to suggestions that he might join the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) under the trade window. However, CSK's CEO, Kashi Vishwanathan, dismissed these speculations during the IPL auction, stating that they don't trade players as a principle and had not approached Mumbai Indians for any such deal. "We don't trade players as a principle and we also don't have players to trade with Mumbai Indians. We have not approached them and we don't intend to either," he said during the IPL auction as quoted by Cricbuzz.

The IPL 2024 is anticipated to commence on March 23, 2024, and conclude on May 29, 2024. The IPL 2024 schedule is yet to be disclosed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).