Mumbai Indians seniors question team functioning under Hardik Pandya

SENIOR MEMBERS of the struggling Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians have questioned the functioning of the team under captain Hardik Pandya. Languishing in 9th spot in the 10-team competition, MI’s decision to remove Rohit Sharma, the present India skipper who has led the franchise to five IPL titles, hasn’t been a popular one with Hardik getting repeatedly booed by fans on match days at the start of the season.

The Indian Express understands that MI’s key players recently conveyed to the coaching staff that there was a lack of buzz in the dressing room and the reason was Hardik’s leadership style.

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya during the IPL 2024 cricket match against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (PTI Photo) Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya during the IPL 2024 cricket match against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)

An MI official said this wasn’t a leadership crisis but more of a sign that a team that was used to Rohit’s captaincy for the last 10 years was still coming to terms with the change of guard. “These are regular teething problems for a team that sees leadership change. This happens in sports all the time,” he said.

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Those in the know said the players and coaching staff had met following a game. Among the Indian stars who were part of the meeting were MI old hands Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah. Over a meal, they put out their thoughts across and pointed to the reasons for the team not doing well. It is also learnt that later there have been one-on-one interactions between certain seniors and team management representatives.

ALSO READ | Why did Mumbai Indians ruthlessly swap Rohit Sharma for Hardik Pandya and why do Chennai Super Kings still stick to Thala Dhoni?

The Tilak Varma flashpoint

This comes on the heels of Hardik, in his post-match comments after the loss to Delhi Capitals, purportedly pointing fingers at the team’s top scorer Tilak Varma for lacking “match awareness”.

“When Axar Patel (DC bowler) was bowling to a left-hander (Tilak), the better option could have been to go after him,” Hardik told the broadcasters. “I think it was just a little game awareness that we missed out on. At the end of the day, that cost us the game.”

The blaming of one player for the team’s failure, sources said, didn’t go down well in the dressing room.

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Experts commenting on the game have hinted that there is something amiss about MI this season. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke went to the extent of saying that the franchise seems to be divided in factions.

“I think there are different groups inside that changing room and something is not working. They are not gelling together, they are not playing as a team,” said Clarke.

MI officials said the franchise, like every year, will take stock of the season and, if needed, take a call on the future of the team.

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