It has not been an ideal start for the new captain, Hardik Pandya, at Mumbai Indians (MI). After completing a sensational transfer to Mumbai for the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Hardik’s MI entered a new era with back-to-back defeats. Hardik failed to ace the captaincy test against his former franchise as Gujarat Titans (GT) outclassed the Rohit Sharma-starrer side in their IPL 2024 opener.
Hardik and Co. were then outplayed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a match where the 2016 champions smashed the highest-ever total in IPL’s history. Dubbed as perennial slow-starters in the cash-rich league, Hardik’s MI side has arrived in Mumbai for their first home game of the new season. The Men In Blue will host 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Monday. From GT fans expressing their displeasure to trolls calling out the MI skipper on social media after the SRH clash, Pandya has been subjected to a hostile reception by fans in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad so far this season.
ALSO READ: No batting in 307 days, but 42-year-old MS Dhoni ‘still got it’
MCA issues clarification on taking action against hostile fans
With Pandya at the receiving end of the crowd’s nonstop booing at the IPL 2024, a report suggested that the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) can take action against the troublemakers at the match venue. However, a source close to MCA has revealed that the cricket board will only follow the spectators’ guidelines issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “No instructions given for this specific game. There have been set guidelines issued by BCCI on spectators behaviour in the stadium over the years and that is the process that we have followed and we continue to follow the same for all games whether IPL or domestic cricket,” the source said.
Fan wars taking ugly route
MI’s leadership change involving Hardik and his predecessor Rohit has not gone down well with the IPL fans. Local hero Pandya parted ways with GT to rejoin MI for the 2024 season. The MI all-rounder guided GT to their first-ever IPL title while making his captaincy debut in the T20 tournament back in 2022. Hardik has replaced Rohit, who masterminded MI to record five IPL crowns. According to Hardik’s MI teammate and veteran spinner Piyush Chawla, the former GT skipper is unaffected by the hostile reception. “The way Hardik has taken it…he is just focusing on the game, he is not even worried about what the crowd is doing and once we get a win under our belt, things will be totally different,” he said.
[ad_2]