‘Loyalty Is Royalty’ – Royal Challengers Bangalore takes indirect dig at Mumbai Indians over captaincy switch

Three-time IPL finalists Royal Challengers Bangalore seem to have taken a dig at Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2024 player auction. The five-time winners recently acquired Hardik Pandya via player trade. A couple of days back, he has been appointed as the captain of the tea, replacing Rohit Sharma. The latter led the team from 2013 to 2023. During this phase, the team won the IPL five times.

Apart from this, they won the now-defunct Champions League T20. Meanwhile, in a video tribute released for the fans by the RCB, they captioned Dropping Soon: “LOYALTY is ROYALTY” – 2024 #RCBXPuma Athleisure Collection An ode to the best and the most loyal fans! We’re grateful for your unwavering support.”

Mumbai Indians announced a significant leadership change

Meanwhile, the former IPL champions decided to announce their next skipper via Instagram post. Pandya has previously led Gujarat Titans in 2022 and 2023.

“Hardik Pandya announced as captain for the IPL 2024 season. Mumbai Indians today announced a significant leadership transition for the upcoming 2024 season. Renowned all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to take the helm as the captain of the Mumbai Indians, succeeding its longest-serving, one of the most successful and loved captains the illustrious Rohit Sharma,” Mumbai Indians wrote in a statement on Instagram.

Commenting on this transition Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said “It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season.