Mumbai Indians have been divided since Hardik Pandya was appointed their captain for the Indian Premier League 2024. Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Surayakumar Yadav were unhappy with Pandya’s getting the captain’s armband after returning from Gujarat Titans.
The first few matches clearly showed the uneasy relationship between Hardik and the other senior players. However, it seems the owners and the players like Sachin Tendulkar intervened to calm the situation, and all looked fine in the last game against Punjab Kings.
Rohit looked happy and was seen handling the team’s affairs, with Hardik taking the backseat. Even Bumrah was involved in decision-making, with Pandya listening to the veterans. However, other players do not seem pleased with how Hardik leads the side.
Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan all-rounder, has turned against the new captain. He shared a post from a fan in which Hardik was slammed for not giving the bowling to the former Afghan captain. Nabi took two brilliant catches and ran out a batter in MI’s 9-run win over PBKS.
His social media activity could create more problems for the five-time champions, as getting all the players on the same page is difficult. It would be interesting to see how MI reacts to Nabi’s anger.