Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya doubtful for IPL 2024

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Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya will be a doubtful starter in the IPL 2024 due to the ankle injury he sustained in India's World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in Pune.

Hardik Pandya was recently traded from Gujarat Titans (GT) and appointed the captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI). The 30-year-old all-rounder had left the five-time champions to lead GT to title triumph in the IPL 2022.

He took them into the final in the following season. He would be replacing Rohit Sharma, who led Mumbai Indians in 10 IPL seasons, in the role. His trade from Gujarat and appointment as MI made all the headlines after the World Cup 2023.

However, a report by NDTV has suggested that Hardik might not recover on time to feature in the IPL 2024. He has already missed the T20I series against Australia, and white-ball leg of the South Africa tour after the World Cup 2023. The Baroda-born cricketer is also set to miss the three-match home T20I series against Afghanistan starting January 11.

Suryakumar Yadav led the Indian T20I side in Hardik's absence in the last two series. However, the star batter is also set to miss the Afghanistan T20Is due to a grade two tear in his ankle.

Who will captain Mumbai Indians in absence of Rohit Sharma?

In case Hardik Pandya is ruled out of the IPL 2024 then the Mumbai Indians management would have to appoint a new captain. Rohit Sharma is unlikely to take the role, but the franchise has no shortage of options.

The likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishan Kishan feature in the team. While Suryakumar and Bumrah have led India in the past, Kishan leads Jharkhand in domestic cricket and was also the captain of India's U-19 World Cup 2016 side.