The Mumbai Indians, led by Hardik Pandya, became the first team to get eliminated from the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League on Tuesday. The team has had a poor campaign, as they lost 8 out of the 12 matches they have played till now. This season, the Mumbai Indians replaced Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the new captain of the team. This decision sparked significant controversy. Even the fans of the franchise did not receive the move well and even booed Hardik Pandya during the initial matches at the Wankhede Stadium.
Even Hardik’s performance was not helping, as he has yet to score a half century in the campaign. He has scored less than 200 runs in 12 matches. Before the previous match against the Mumbai Indians, where he took three wickets, Hardik had only eight wickets in 11 games, which highlights his lack of form. Although the downfall cannot only be blamed on Hardik except Jaspreet Bumrah, none of the star players of the Mumbai Indians have been consistent this year.
But now it looks like Hardik Pandya indeed took the fall for the five-time Champions horrible outing in this year IPL. According to a report, the senior stars of the Mumbai Indians have expressed reservations about how the team is being led and have had conversations with the management of the franchise.
The report suggested in the meeting with the coaching staff experienced players Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Surya Kumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah were were present after a game in the ongoing season as they were giving their opinion on the poor results of the team. They also shared their thoughts and pinpointed the factors that are contributing to the poor performance of the team.
Additionally, it was also reported that subsequent one-on-one discussions have taken place between certain senior players and the management representatives of the team, which indicates concerted efforts to address the issue and make a path forward for the team.
The report also revealed that the comment of Hardik’s on the innings of Tilak Varma’s after the loss of MI in the match against the Delhi Capitals did not go well in the dressing room.
