'Not Genuine, Ego-driven' Hardik Pandya's Captaincy Not For Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah: IPL Great

10.05.2024 - 02:35 sports.ndtv.com

On Thursday, an interesting report said that the Mumbai Indians camp may not be a happy place due to Hardik Pandya's captaincy.

The report said that senior members of MI questioned the functioning of the five-time champions under new skipper Hardik Pandya.

MI are the first team to get officially knocked out of the IPL 2024 playoff race. It's a far-cry from the time when MI used to dominate the IPL.

The report added that key MI players felt that due to Hardik Pandya's captaincy, there was a "lack of buzz" in the dressing room..

cricket Mumbai Indians AB de Villiers IPL 2024 Rohit Sharma Hardik Pandya Jasprit Bumrah India

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh said that Mumbai Indians (MI) decision to bring back all-rounder Hardik Pandya to the franchise as a captain backfired and the team did not play cohesively as a unit. The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season was one to forget for five-time champions MI. They brought back Pandya after a two-year stint with Gujarat Titans (GT), which involved winning the title in their debut season in 2022, but replacing Rohit Sharma as a captain led to massive social media backlash for the all-rounder and franchise. Pandya was booed in stadiums all over India during his matches and the team finished at the bottom of the points table with four wins, 10 losses and eight points. Pandya, who had played a crucial role in the franchise's success from 2015-21, could not put on match-winning performances.

End of MI's Dream Team? India Great Hints At Big Exits Of Rohit Sharma And...

Former India captain Anil Kumble feels Mumbai Indians (MI) icon Rohit Sharma might leave the franchise after the five-time champions finished bottom in the points table in this season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kumble feels other teams might be looking at Rohit as their captain next season, with mega auction to follow, and the opening batter might be tempted to begin a new chapter, having been replaced as the skipper by Hardik Pandya this season. MI lost to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday, ending their campaign with just 10 points and a wooden spoon.

"Very Heartening": Sunil Gavaskar's Massive Praise For Rohit Sharma After 68-Run Knock vs LSG

Mumbai Indians lost their last game of the IPL season by 18 runs against Lucknow Super Giants. Following the game, former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Rohit Sharma's 38 ball 68 runs innings, calling it “very heartening.” The match between Mumbai and Lucknow was a dead rubber clash as both sides had already been eliminated from playoff contention. Lucknow put up a total of 214/6 on the back of a blistering innings from Nicholas Pooran who scored 75 runs off 29 deliveries.

Rohit Sharma-Hardik Pandya 'Factions' Led To Mumbai Indians' Poor Show? Report Makes Explosive Claim

It has been a horrible IPL 2024 season for Mumbai Indians as the five-time champions became the first team to crash out of the playoffs race. With just 4 wins out of 13 matches, they are currently ninth in the points table and their performances have been criticised by both fans and experts. The cricketer who has faced the most criticism is all-rounder Hardik Pandya who was appointed MI captain at the start of the new season. Hardik, who completed a sensational trade from Gujarat Titans, ended Rohit Sharma's ten-year tenure as MI skipper - a decision that was not accepted by a section of the fanbase.

AB de Villiers Clarifies "Not Genuine, Ego Driven" Remark On Hardik Pandya Amid Captaincy Row

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has been a constant target for trolls since the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign. Fans didn't welcome the management's decision to strip Rohit Sharma of his captaincy responsibilities while awarding the same to the India all-rounder. As MI endured tough results in the ongoing IPL campaign, becoming the first side to be knocked out, pressure intensified on Hardik, with several questions being raised over his leadership credentials. Even former Royal Challengers Bengaluru and South Africa star AB de Villiers seemed to have called out Hardik's 'bravado-style' captaincy. But, he has now issued a clarification.

Not Rohit Sharma Or Hardik Pandya, "Only 2 Mumbai Indians Players Certain To Be Retained": Virender Sehwag

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians have had one of the worst IPL seasons since the start of the tournament this year. The Hardik Pandya-led side is already out of the playoff race. Since the start, when Hardik Pandya was named the skipper, things have gone downhill for the side. In the midst of this, former Indian cricket team star Virender Sehwag had a piece of interesting advice for MI management ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction. He took two names that should be on top priority for MI to be retained. And they are not Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma.