Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has joined the team ahead of the upcoming 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League. The star all-rounder along with head coach Mark Boucher kickstarted the preparations for the team ahead of the upcoming tournament.
All the focus has now shifted to the biggest cricketing festival in India. The IPL 2024 is all set to kickstart on 22nd March and the teams have already started their preparations for the upcoming league. Mumbai Indians’ new captain Hardik Pandya also joined the team on Monday (11th March).
New MI Captain Hardik Pandya Takes Blessings Of God Ahead Of IPL 2024
There has been a lot of drama surrounding the Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2024. For the unversed, Hardik Pandya was traded back to Mumbai Indians from the Gujarat Titans and subsequently appointed as the captain, replacing the ‘OG’ captain Rohit Sharma.
This decision by the Mumbai Indians to remove Rohit Sharma as captain received backlash from MI’s loyal fans. Many criticized both the franchise and Hardik Pandya for their treatment of the senior batter, who led the team to five IPL titles. The franchise defended its decision, stating that it was made with the team’s future in mind.
Though IPL 2024 is yet to begin, there has already been a lot of drama before and it adds up more excitement and anticipation for the tournament. With the league just two weeks away from getting started, Hardik Pandya has joined the camp of Mumbai Indians in Mumbai and will be looking forward to giving his best.
In a video shared by the Mumbai Indians via their official social media accounts, Hardik Pandya could be seen entering the Mumbai Indians’ changing room and meeting head coach Mark Boucher. The duo then takes blessings from the god with Pandya doing ‘pooja’ and head coach Boucher breaking coconut on the floor before beginning the training.
Sharing the video, Mumbai Indians wrote: “चला सुरु करूया 🙏🥥 (Let’s begin the things).”
Watch the video:
चला सुरु करूया 🙏🥥#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians @hardikpandya7 pic.twitter.com/XBs5eJFdfS
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 11, 2024
Meanwhile, the video went viral in no time and was flooded with reactions from the fans. While many welcomed the new MI captain with open arms, many expressed their disappointment.
Check out the reactions of the fans:
Hardik Pandya has been associated with the Mumbai Indians since his IPL debut. However, before the 2022 mega auction, he was signed by the Gujarat Titans and served as their captain. Under his leadership, the team won the title in 2022 and reached the final in 2023 before Pandya returned to the Mumbai Indians for IPL 2024.
