Mumbai Indians’s (MI) new skipper Hardik Pandya is all set to address a press conference ahead of IPL 2024. MI will take on GT in their tournament opener under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya. Pandya was traded from GT to MI for IPL 2024, replacing Rohit as the MI skipper.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya to address press ahead of IPL 2024
Hardik Pandya: I always have extra love for batting. I love to bat and finish games. I am the happiest when I play as an all-rounder.
Mark Boucher: Hardik can win you a match with the ball and with the bat as well. So we are privileged to have him in our team.
Hardik Pandya: Bumrah has been our number one bowler for a long time. Yes, last year, they did miss him. This year we are fortunate that he is available. hopefully, he will be firing from all cylinders. He will definitely be one o fthe leaders who will guide other bowlers with the experience and knowledge he has.
Mark Boucher: I think Rohit is in fantastic form. All of us in Mumbai Indians are excited to see Rohit right in the middle. Rohit performing well would mean MI are in a good place.
Hardik Pandya: I will be an all-rounder this IPL and I’ll try to make sure I finish as many games as possible.
Hardik Pandya: The question after my injury was ‘Do I want to represent India at 50%?’ My answer was ‘no’.
Mark Boucher: My job is to coach Mumbai Indians. I am going to biased and say I would want the best players to play for our team. However, I am going to lean on my medical team. We are going to ask the player if he wants a break. Sometimes the medical team says one thing and the player says something else.
Hardik Pandya: I don’t take myself up in success, I don’t take myself down in failures. I think that has helped me big time in whatever I have a achieved. Getting success takes time, it’s not like ‘Shakalaka boom boom’ and we win the trophy.
Mark Boucher: To have Hardik back in our set up is only going to strengthen Mumbai Indians. He brings in a different perspective. I don’t want to see him in dugout too much because that would mean we are doing well.
Mark Boucher: Credits to our scouts. They find players during off-season and we back their decisions. We have to keep finding roles for youngsters that come in. We have a couple of players that can hopefully be the next superstars of India.
Hardik Pandya: I plan to play all the games possible in IPL 2024.
Mark Boucher: I really enjoyed working with Rohit Sharma. Now with Hardik, it is a different challenge. I am going to help the captain as much as possible.
Hardik Pandya: With Mumbai Indians, there will always be pressure. So what we can do now is how we prepare for the tournament. We can promise that we will play a brand of cricket everyone will enjoy, results are not in our hands.
Hardik Pandya: You should be playing for the team you’re playing for. To be honest for your team is the most important thing. We play for the team and it is one team.
Mark Boucher: We trust our medical team. If we lose one or two players due to fitness, it’s fine.
Mark Boucher: The change brings new perspective, we are set up for a good season with a new batch of players. We have a history of not starting off too well, so we are looking to address that this time around.
Hardik Pandya: I suffered a freak injury, by the time I got fit, the Afghanistan series just started.
Hardik Pandya: I will be bowling in IPL 2024. About the backlash after the captaincy change, I can only control the controllable. I can only focus on my sport, that is what I am going to do.
Hardik Pandya: It wont be any different, Rohit Sharma will be able to help me anytime. It won’t be awkward, I know he is always going to have a hand on my shoulders
Hardik Pandya: It is a surreal feeling for me, never thought I would reach this point, it’s a happy homecoming for me.
Latest IPL 2024 news and updates
MI IPL 2024 Schedule
Under new captain Hardik Pandya, who replaced Rohit Sharma after a sensational trade from Gujarat Titans, MI will travel to Ahmedabad for their opening fixture. MI next IPL match is on March 27 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad.
| DATE | Day | Home | Away | VENUE | TIME |
| March 24 | SUN | GT | MI | Ahmedabad | 19:30 |
| March 27 | WED | SRH | MI | Hyderabad | 19:30 |
| April 1 | MON | MI | RR | Mumbai | 19:30 |
| 7-Apr | SUN | MI | DC | Mumbai | 15:30 |
MI Full squad for IPL 2024
Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (Traded from GT), Tim David, Arjun Tendulkar, Kumar Kartikeya, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal, Vishnu Vinod, Romario Shepherd, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madhushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi
