(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya has joined the side’s camp, kicking-off the preparations for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 just days before the commencement of the tournament.
Mumbai Indians shared the video of Pandya’s arrival on their social media handles. The new MI skipper also performed a pooja along with the head coach of the side Mark Boucher.
चला सुरु करूया 🙏🥥#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians @hardikpandya7 pic.twitter.com/XBs5eJFdfS
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 11, 2024
Notably, Pandya marked his return to competitive cricket after a long injury layoff. After recovering from an ankle injury which he sustained in the ODI World Cup 2023, he took part in the DY Patil T20 Cup.
The all-rounder came back to MI after two seasons. He led Gujarat Titans (GT) to a title in IPL 2022 and the franchise made it to the final in the following edition of the competition.
As Pandya wanted to move to his original team, GT transferred him to MI in all-cash deal. Upon his return, Mumbai Indians sacked the joint-most successful IPL captain Rohit Sharma and named Pandya his successor. This decision was met a huge criticism as fans and pundits believed that Rohit was not treated well.
The Pandya-led side will be up against Gujarat Titans in their first match of the season on March 24 in Ahmedabad.