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Mumbai Indians (MI) embarked on their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 journey with hopes riding high, only to find themselves grappling with an unforeseen series of defeats under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, who inherited the captaincy from the esteemed Rohit Sharma. Despite initial strides towards redemption with two consecutive victories, their quest for consistency stumbled yet again at the hands of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), casting a shadow over their aspirations. The franchise is currently placed at the eight spot in the points table just above Delhi Capitals (DC) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Hardik Pandya’s flop show against CSK
Hardik himself endured a night to forget, yielding 43 runs from his three overs despite clinching two crucial wickets. However, it was the tumultuous 20th over, adorned with three towering sixes off the blade of MS Dhoni, that dealt a grievous blow to the home contingent, propelling the CSK’s score from 180 to 206. Chasing a daunting target of 207, Hardik departed for a paltry 2 runs off 6 deliveries, ultimately falling short by a margin of 20 runs despite Rohit’s valiant unbeaten century. Once again, the spectators unleashed a wave of hostility towards Hardik, disregarding a heartfelt plea from Virat Kohli, during MI’s previous encounter, to accord him due respect.
Also WATCH: Virat Kohli steps in as Wankhede crowd boos Hardik Pandya; urges fans to cheer instead
Adam Gilchrist’s theory
In a reflection on the unfriendly reception towards their skipper, former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist, in an interview with Cricbuzz, propounded an intriguing ‘Rohit’ theory to elucidate the lingering ambivalence among fans towards Hardik. He posited that while player transfers are a customary affair in the league, MI’s handling of the situation appeared rather hasty. Not only was Hardik’s acquisition seemingly abrupt, but his immediate anointment as captain also deprived fans of a transitional phase conducive to acceptance.
“High-profile teams are a victim of their own success. There are often trades that come out of the blue, and fans feel like, ‘hand on, we are not invested in this’. They feel that they are part of this big picture and hence feel blindsided. The way this Hardik traded came out of nowhere and the transition from Rohit to Hardik…whether Rohit was happy or not or if he was considered or not. So that is where this feeling is coming,” Gilchrist said.
