IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma equals MS Dhoni's IPL record

Exactly 16 years after the inaugural IPL match, Rohit Sharma has achieved a significant milestone by becoming one of only two players to participate in 250 IPL games, alongside MS Dhoni. This remarkable feat underscore Rohit’s longevity and consistency in the world’s most prestigious T20 cricket league. Over the years, Rohit’s stellar performances and leadership have solidified his status as one of the most influential figures in IPL history, making this milestone a testament to his enduring impact on the game.

Impact of Rohit Sharma’s journey in IPL

In the upcoming 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, there will be significant changes, with six teams having new captains. A major development is the end of MS Dhoni’s tenure as captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, all eyes are on the Mumbai Indians (MI), where Rohit Sharma, the five-time IPL-winning captain, has been replaced by Hardik Pandya.

This decision has sparked debate in the cricket community, given Rohit’s remarkable success with MI, leading them to five IPL titles. Additionally, Rohit is the current captain of the Indian cricket team across all formats and will lead them in the 2024 T20 World Cup shortly after the IPL 2024 Final.

His remarkable journey to remember

Rohit Sharma’s change in IPL captaincy is significant as he becomes the first Indian cricket team captain in 16 years to not lead an IPL team. Since the inception of the IPL in 2008, Rohit is only the second Indian captain and the first white-ball skipper of the national team to captain his IPL franchise. The only previous instance occurred in the inaugural 2008 season when Anil Kumble led the Indian test team, while Rahul Dravid captained the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) outfit.

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Interestingly, Kumble’s stint as Indian test captain ended shortly after the 2008 IPL season. However, he continued to captain RCB in subsequent IPL seasons. In contrast, the Indian team captain has typically also captained an IPL team in every season. MS Dhoni led CSK and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPSG) from 2008 to 2016. When Dhoni stepped down as India captain in January 2017, he did not lead an IPL team in the 2017 season. Similarly, Virat Kohli captained RCB in every IPL season while serving as Indian captain from 2017 to 2021. However, he relinquished RCB captaincy before the 2022 season.

Rohit Sharma assumed the role of MI captain in 2022 and 2023, but this will not be the case in 2024. This significant change has stirred discussions within the cricketing world regarding the dynamics of IPL team leadership and its relationship with the national team captaincy.