Mumbai Indians Retain Hardik Pandya as Captain Despite IPL 2024 Struggles

Hardik Pandya will continue as captain of the Mumbai Indians despite a challenging IPL 2024 season that saw the team finish at the bottom. The franchise retained key players like Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma, and reappointed Mahela Jayawardene as head coach for the 2025 season.

Despite a difficult Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, which concluded with the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the bottom of the standings, Hardik Pandya will remain as the team's captain for the upcoming year. The franchise confirmed this decision on Thursday while retaining key players, including Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, and Tilak Varma, ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Retaining such a talented team is a significant victory for MI, as they spent a total of INR 75 crore, leaving INR 45 crore for auction acquisitions. Jasprit Bumrah, retained for INR 18 crore, is now MI's highest-paid player. Hardik and Suryakumar were each retained for INR 16.35 crore, while Rohit Sharma stays with the team for INR 16.30 crore, and Tilak Varma was retained at a cost of INR 8 crore.

In a video released by MI, Hardik expressed his gratitude: "It's been fantastic. I have received a lot of love back, as my journey started here. Everything I've achieved in my life is part of Mumbai Indians." He reminisced about past seasons and vowed, "We are going to come back in 2025 even stronger. Brotherhood and friendship will guide us." Hardik faced challenges during the IPL 2024, with fans booing him at several venues due to his performance struggles: only 216 runs scored and 11 wickets taken.

Following a disappointing tenth-place finish, MI has reinstated Mahela Jayawardene as head coach for IPL 2025, aiming to turn around the team's fortunes in the new season.

(With inputs from agencies.)