IPL 2024: All not well in Mumbai Indians after Pandya-Rohit captaincy saga?

Mumbai Indians lost nearly 1 million followers across social media within 24 hours of the removal of Rohit Sharma as captain. Hardik Pandya overtook him

It seems like all is not well between what is known as the ‘One Family’ of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Mumbai Indians, ever since they announced that Hardik Pandya will now be the captain of the team heading into IPL 2024 instead of Rohit Sharma, have lost nearly 1 million followers across all social media platforms according to several media reports. 

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The decision has certainly not gone down well with the fans of India skipper Rohit who have been burning Mumbai Indians’ team jerseys. 

However, apart from exterior protests, what might trouble the Mumbai side is the reaction of two of its stalwarts- Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah. Just after Pandya was traded to Mumbai from Gujarat Titans, Bumrah posted, “Silence is sometimes the best answer”. And after the announcement of the captaincy change, Surya posted a picture of a broken heart as his Instagram story. 

While Bumrah was looking forward to an opportunity to lead the side, Surya had been waiting in the wings as well. Surya 33, is one of the most prolific T20 batters in the world and has recently led the Indian side as well. Bumrah on the other hand has led India in Test and T20Is and was looked up as the leader of the team as well. Now with the imposition of Pandya, Mumbai have changed the dynamics. 

People are drawing comparisons to 2013 when Ricky Ponting was removed as Mumbai skipper and a young Rohit Sharma was given the reigns. Not young, but Hardik, 30, certainly has more years in his bucket than Surya, 33 to lead the Mumbai side for at least the next five years. 

Jayawardene, in his comment, after Hardik’s appointment pointed out Mumbai’s philosophy of going with the change. He had said, “It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season.”