Rohit Sharma won the IPL for MI five times in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Hardik was traded in from Gujarat Titans and it has been reported that one of the conditions on which the all-rounder agreed to leave GT was that he will be made captain at Mumbai Indians.
Notably, Hardik took GT to finals in IPL 2022 and 2023, winning the IPL 2022 trophy. However, Rohit Sharma had led MI to five IPL titles in his 10-year captaincy tenure.
Although Pandya taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma in future was a predicted outcome, MI's sudden decision to remove Rohit Sharma as captain hasn't bode well with the fans.
When the news broke on social media officially that MI had named Hardik Pandya as captain, Mumbai Indians have lost lakhs of followers on social media, both Instagram and X. Rohit Sharma leaves a paramount legacy as MI captain with IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Recently, during the IPL 2024 auction, a fan in Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena shouted at MI table that they should bring back Rohit Sharma. In reply, MI owner Akash Ambani said not to worry as Rohit Sharma will still bat for the team.
In a fan video posted by MI on their X handle, the fan shouted: 'Rohit Sharma ko wapas lao' (Bring Rohit back as captain), to which Akash Ambani said: 'Chinta mat karo. Woh batting karega' (Don't worry, he will bat).
Triggered by these incidents and seeing them as huge injustice to Rohit Sharma and his legacy, fans of the cricketer trended “Rohit leave MI” on social media platform X. This led to thousands of Rohitians posting their support in favor of their loved cricketer.
Here are some posts: