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[Saba Sports News] In a significant development for the IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians have named Hardik Pandya as their captain, taking over from five-time champion Rohit Sharma. Pandya, who recently moved from Gujarat Titans for a hefty INR 15 Crore plus an undisclosed transfer fee, has sparked rumors about possibly leading India in the T20 World Cup 2024, replacing Sharma.
However, a BCCI official refuted these speculations, clarifying that IPL franchise decisions do not influence national team captaincy selections. Sharma, who hasn’t played a T20I since India’s disappointing semi-final loss to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup, reportedly expressed his desire to continue as India’s T20 World Cup captain in a recent meeting with BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Rahul Dravid in Delhi. A source from BCCI indicated that if both Sharma and Pandya are in the squad, the board favors Sharma as captain.
Pandya has been at the helm of the T20I team since the 2022 World Cup, with senior players Sharma and Virat Kohli stepping back from the format. Pandya’s recent absence due to an ankle injury led to Suryakumar Yadav captaining the team against Australia and South Africa.
Dropping Sharma and Kohli from the T20 World Cup 2024 squad is being debated. Sharma has participated in every T20 World Cup edition since 2007, and Kohli is the leading run-scorer in both T20I World Cups and T20Is. Excluding these seasoned players would be a significant decision for India, especially as the team seeks to end its decade-long ICC Trophy drought.