Ahead of the IPL 2024 season, the MI think-tank took a bold call to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the new captain, a move that sent shockwaves across the cricket fraternity.

Under Hardik Pandya's captaincy, MI kick-started their campaign with a six-run defeat to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. MI will play their next game against SRH, which is just a few hours away from getting underway.

The eighth game of IPL 2024 will kick off at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad at 7:30 PM IST. Let's take a look at the three things we can expect from Rohit Sharma against SRH.

1. Return as non-captain in IPL

Rohit Sharma returned to Hyderabad as non-captain, which means that he will certainly be touched by his reminiscences about his earlier happenings in his IPL journey, something that he will always cherish in his life.

For the record, he began his IPL venture with Deccan Chargers (now-defunct franchise) where he played three seasons (2008 to 2010). Notably, Rohit Sharma won the title as a player in IPL 2009 under Adam Gilchrist's captaincy.

2. Set to play 200th match for MI in IPL

Rohit Sharma was sold for US$2 million to the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2011 auction and the rest is history. Rohit Sharma became one of the most successful captains in the history of the IPL. Under his captaincy, Mumbai Indians became a phenomenal force to reckon with in the tournament as they have won five titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) in 10 seasons.

Besides that, he also helped the team reach the playoffs twice. Hitman is all set to play his 200th match for MI in the IPL. Overall, he mustered 5084 runs including 34 fifties and a century.

3. Player to watch out for against SRH

Rohit Sharma's workload must have reduced to a great extent as he is no longer the captain of MI anymore, which means that he will get plenty of freedom to express himself as a pure batsman in the ongoing tournament.

The senior pro showcased his mettle in the first game against GT wherein he pitched in with a quickfire 43 off 29 balls, laced with 7 fours and a six. After getting off to a good start, he will be looking forward to making an impact as a pure batsman in the next game.