Rohit 'Unofficially' Takes Over MI Captaincy From Hardik. Here's The Proof

Hardik Pandya could be the captain of the Mumbai Indians franchise but Rohit Sharma’s expertise was called upon by the skipper ahead of the tense last over against Punjab Kings in the India Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on Thursday. In a video that has surfaced on social media, Rohit could be seen setting the field right before the start of the final over of the match. Though skipper Hardik was on the field, it was Rohit was given the responsibility, probably by the captain himself, considering his expertise.

A lot has been said and written about the leadership structure at Mumbai Indians, with some even suggesting the existence of two groups at the franchise, one led by Hardik and the other by Rohit. But, the matter on the field seems to be a lot more cordial than what rumours suggested.

Rohit Sharma setting field before 20th over against PBKS:

Here is the video.

No one is bigger than Indian Captain Rohit Sharma.! pic.twitter.com/S6cTSFlNeA https://t.co/WE9jYsNRHR

— Selfless⁴⁵ (@SelflessCricket) April 19, 2024

In another video, shared by the official X account of IPL, Rohit and Hardik could be seen celebrating the nervy win by hugging each other after the match.

An absolute rollercoaster of a game in Mullanpur comes to an end!

And it’s the Mumbai Indians who emerge victorious in a nerve-wracking contest

Scorecard https://t.co/m7TQkWe8xz#TATAIPL | #PBKSvMI pic.twitter.com/sLKVcBm9oy

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 18, 2024

After the game, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya admitted that the game was too close to his and his team’s liking.

“Very good game of cricket. Everyone’s nerve got tested. We did speak about before the game that the character will be checked in this game. Naturally you think you’re ahead in the game. But we knew IPL has a tendency to produce these games.

“Unbelievable – coming in and playing like that (Ashutosh’s knock). Almost every ball hitting the middle. Happy for him and chuffed for his future. We did speak in the timeout that it doesn’t matter how good we look. We’ll keep scrapping in this game. We were quite soft in certain overs. Nevertheless, a win is a win,” he said.