Who captained Mumbai Indians for its debut game in IPL 2008?: Sachin Tendulkar was signed as an icon player by Mumbai ahead of IPL 2008.
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Mumbai Indians are the most successful franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League. They have won five IPL titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma took the captaincy of Mumbai Indians in the 2013 season.
Before 2013, the Mumbai Indians struggled a lot in the tournament, but they always had some international superstars in their ranks.
Who captained Mumbai Indians for its debut game in IPL 2008?
Ahead of the IPL 2008, Mumbai Indians signed Sachin Tendulkar as their icon player. Many international superstars such as Sanath Jayasuriya, Robin Uthappa, Shaun Pollock, etc were also roped in by the Mumbai Indians.
Sachin Tendulkar was appointed as the captain of the side, whereas Lalchand Rajput was named the head coach. Mumbai Indians faced Royal Challengers Bangalore in their debut IPL 2008 game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
It is interesting to note that Sachin Tendulkar got injured ahead of the IPL 2008, and he was ruled out for the initial phase of the season. Under Sachin’s absence, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh led Mumbai Indians in the initial phase of the tournament. Interestingly, Harbhajan Singh opened the batting in their first game against RCB.
Mumbai Indians started their journey with a five-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The team suffered defeat in their initial four games of the tournament. Harbhajan Singh was suspended in between after the Sreesanth slap scandal. Shaun Pollock was then made the captain of the side until Sachin Tendulkar returned.
During the 2013 season, the fortunes of the side changed drastically. Ricky Ponting was the captain of the side in 2013, and the team had a terrible start. Ponting lost his place in the playing eleven, and Rohit Sharma was made the captain. Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians to title in the 2013 season itself in a dramatic manner.
