The decision to remove Rohit as skipper came a shock to the team’s fans, many of who showed their anger on social media.
Rohit has been playing for MI since 2011 and was elevated to the role of team captain in 2013.
Hardik has also played under Rohit at MI before leaving the franchise to lead Gujarat Titans. Under Hardik, GT won the IPL in their debut season.
In the last edition of the league, GT lost to Chennai Super Kings in the final. Hardik was traded back in by MI in this year’s transfer window.
Mumbai’s five IPL title wins under Rohit make him the most successful captain in the tournament alongside Chennai Super Kings’ icon MS Dhoni.
Some of the surprised fans went on to burn flags, while there were also discreet posts like the ‘heartbreak’ emoji posted by MI batter Suryakumar Yadav.
Here’s how the reactions poured in on the microblogging website ‘X’ (formerly Twitter):