Mumbai Indians (MI) turned out to be one of the most disappointing teams in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2024 as they were the first team to be officially knocked out of the tournament. Under Hardik Pandya’s leadership, the team could only manage to win four of their 13 matches in the IPL 2024 so far. What comes across as more concerning than that is a report of possible rift amongst the Mumbai Indians senior players, involving Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav.
According to a report by Dainik Jagran, there appears to be a division within the Mumbai Indians team.The report states an incident from the eve of Mumbai’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on May 11 which suggests a possible discontent in the Mumbai camp.
Tensions Between Hardik Pandya & Rohit Sharma?
As per the Dainik Jagran report, when Rohit Sharma arrived for practice, there were no signs of Hardik Pandya. And when Rohit finished his practice and sat on the ice box near the dugout, several players, including Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma, gathered around him. However, when Hardik Pandya arrived to practice batting, the other players, including Rohit, moved to the other side of the field.
Moreover, a video also circulated on the internet, shared by KKR, which showed Rohit having a chat with KKR's assistant coach Abhishek Nair ahead of the KKR vs MI IPL 2024 match. Although the audio was unclear, it was reported that Rohit mentioned that everything was changing in the MI camp and that while Mumbai Indians was his home and a temple he built, it didn't matter anymore as it was his last season.
Watch The Video Here
Mumbai Indians' Captaincy Shift Saga
For those unversed, a couple of months before the start of the IPL 2024 season, Mumbai Indians franchise made the decision to appoint Pandya as their captain, replacing the long-standing skipper Rohit Sharma, who won them the trophy five times. This move ignited a wave of outrage among Mumbai Indians fans and supporters of Rohit Sharma. Many of them vehemently advocated for Sharma's reappointment as captain, citing his track record of leading the team to victory five times.