IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma's tribute video backfires as fans unfollow Mumbai Indians' accounts

In anticipation of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise underwent a significant leadership shift, with Hardik Pandya taking over the captaincy reins from Rohit Sharma. The circumstances surrounding whether the 'Hitman' was relieved of his position or voluntarily stepped down remain unclear. However, speculation about his replacement intensified stating that he got to know about the change following an Instagram post from Mumbai Indians.

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During Rohit's tenure as captain, the team achieved an impressive five trophies—a feat matched only by the legendary MS Dhoni. In a tribute to his dedication and hard work, MI shared an emotional video on their social media platform with a heartfelt caption, "Ro, In 2013 you took over as captain of MI. You asked us to 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞. In victories & defeats, you asked us to 𝘚𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦. 10 years & 6 trophies later, here we are. Our 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧, your legacy will be etched in Blue & gold. Thank you, 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐎".

Nevertheless, the impact of this video was minimal, as his devoted fanbase began unfollowing MI's X (previously known as Twitter) account in protest.

Commenting on this transition Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said "It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season". 

As for Hardik Pandya, MI released him in 2021, after which he joined Gujarat Titans (GT). While with GT, he not only led the team to a title win in his debut season but also steered them to the final earlier this year.