Five-time Champions Mumbai Indians have witnessed a steep decline in their Instagram followers after the abrupt removal of Rohit Sharma from Captaincy. The franchise took a massive step of appointing Hardik Pandya as the Captain of Mumbai Indians. This decision left Rohit Sharma fans in shock & disappointment & the franchise faced huge after-effects of the decision. The franchise lost 1.5 lakh Instagram followers in just few hours after naming replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians Captain. Fans’ reaction was not limited to that as Rohit Sharma fans went on to burn Mumbai Indians jerseys in protest against the franchise’s abrupt decision.
Fans Backlash on Replacing Rohit Sharma as MI Captain
Fans couldn’t tolerate the franchise’s decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians Captain. The result of their drastic decision was severe as within an hour team’s Instagram account lost four lakh followers. This reflected the love the MI franchise received just because of Rohit Sharma. Fans took to their social media handle to express their support for Rohit Sharma & outrage for the franchise by communicating with hashtag #RohitSharma.
Fans were seen burning Mumbai Indians jerseys & caps in support of Rohit Sharma. Fans couldn’t stop themselves from tweeting & posting in solidarity with Rohit Sharma. One fan mentioned, “Rohit Sharma has done everything for his franchise Mumbai Indians, but they broke a heart.” While one fan wrote, “You are forever my captain @RO45”. While one fan wrote, “You’ll suffer more, @mipaltan #ShameOnMI.”
Rohit Sharma’s Tenure as MI Captain
Rohit Sharma who led Mumbai Indians to five titles from 2013 to 2023 was an iconic figure for the Mumbai Indians franchise. Captaining 158 matches with a stunning win percentage of 56.33%, Rohit’s contribution to Mumbai Indians growth is unparalleled. The decision to remove him from captaincy has not only affected the team’s dynamics but also left the fans to question the franchise’s thinking & rationale behind such an abrupt decision.
The result of Mumbai Indians’ abrupt decision has benefited their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings who have now become the most-followed IPL team on Instagram. CSK’s Instagram followers moved up to 13 million surpassing Mumbai Indians. The rise in arch-rival followers indicates the serious after-effects the franchise is having after removing Rohit Sharma as Captain.
Heartfelt Tribute to the One & Only Rohit Sharma
Mahela Jayawardene the global head of performance for Mumbai Indians expressed gratitude for Rohit Sharma for his exemplary leadership over the last decade. Jayawardene acknowledged Rohit Sharma’s role in making Mumbai Indians one of the most successful & followed teams in IPL history. At the same time, Jayawardene welcomed the franchise’s move by welcoming a new captain Hardik Pandya.
What do you think has the franchise taken the right step of replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians’ Captain? Share with us your view about their drastic decision.
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