How many Instagram followers have Mumbai Indians lost after replacing Rohit Sharma as captain with Hardik Pandya?

Mumbai Indians (MI) recently announced Hardik Pandya as their new captain for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The star all-rounder replaced Rohit Sharma following a whopping INR 15 crore trade deal to rejoin his old IPL franchise from Gujarat Titans.

The development led to mixed responses among fans and experts. Many of them, including Rohit Sharma fans, didn’t like the move and unfollowed the franchise on social media. Since the announcement, the franchise has lost 0.9 million followers (13.2M to 12.3M).

As captain, Rohit led MI to 87 wins in 158 matches. He is one of the most successful IPL captains in the history of the league.

The 36-year-old guided MI to five IPL trophies during his 10-year tenure as skipper. Only MS Dhoni, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has won as many titles as Rohit.

On the other hand, Pandya has led Gujarat Titans to two consecutive IPL finals in the last two seasons, including a maiden trophy in the inaugural season.

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“The decision they have taken is for the benefit of the team” – Sunil Gavaskar backs Mumbai Indians' decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as skipper

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has, meanwhile, endorsed Mumbai Indians' decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain for IPL 2024. The Mumbaikar pointed out that Rohit’s performance has gone south over the last couple of years.

Gavaskar told Star Sports:

"We shouldn't go into rights and wrongs. But, the decision they have taken is for the benefit of the team. In the last two years, Rohit's contribution, even with the bat, has dipped a little bit. Earlier, he used to score big, but in the last two years, they finished No. 9 or No. 10 the year before last year and in the last year they qualified for the playoffs.”

The cricketer-turned-commentator added:

"But we missed seeing the mojo in Rohit Sharma that we used to see in the previous few years. Maybe, he was a little tired because of playing continuous cricket, he was a little tired because of captaincy, leading India and the franchise.”

Since 2022, Rohit Sharma has amassed 600 runs in 30 matches at an average of 20, including two half-centuries. Mumbai Indians finished last in the points table in IPL 2022, but reached the knockout stage in 2023.