With star all-rounder Hardik Pandya's first season as Mumbai Indians' resulting in a group-stage elimination, reports have emerged that senior players are unhappy with his leadership style. As per The Indian Express, the franchise's key players have notified to the coaching staff about the lack of buzz in the dressing room, the reason for which is Hardik Pandya.
With SunRisers Hyderabad registering a crushing ten-wicket win over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Wednesday, Mumbai Indians are out of the reckoning. Both Delhi Capitals and Super Giants have the chance to reach at least 13 points when they lock horns on May 14th; however, the maximum Mumbai Indians can get to is 12 even if they win their remaining two matches against the Kolkata Knight Riders and Super Giants.
Pandya, meanwhile, has found himself under pressure right from the outset. The 30-year-old has faced backlash from the fans during toss as they have booed him even during home matches. To make matters worse, the Baroda-born cricketer hasn't even clicked with the bat and is yet to hit a half-century in IPL 2024."
A franchise official reasoned that the players are still coming to terms with Pandya's captaincy, given Rohit served in the role for 10 years. He stated, as quoted by The Indian Express:
"These are regular teething problems for a team that sees leadership change. This happens in sports all the time."
Report claims Hardik Pandya blaming Tilak Varma didn't go down well:
The report further claimed that Pandya's comments at the presentation after losing to the Delhi Capitals didn't go down well in the dressing room. The 30-year-old had said:
"When Axar Patel (DC bowler) was bowling to a left-hander (Tilak), the better option could have been to go after him. I think it was just a little game awareness that we missed out on. At the end of the day, that cost us the game."
The five-time champions last two matches are against the Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants.
