There are indications of unrest in the Mumbai Indians team. Media speculation intensified when newly appointed captain Hardik Pandya and head coach Mark Boucher avoided questions about the leadership change and Rohit Sharma during their pre-IPL press event.
Prior to this year's auctions, Pandya was traded from the Gujarat Titans to MI, and that's when it all began. Fans were thrilled about this move, as Pandya had established his reputation at MI alone. Initially, GT hesitated to make the move, while Pandya had a captaincy clause in his contract.
After the deal was confirmed, MI announced Pandya as their captain. He replaced Rohit Sharma. This sparked endless speculation as Rohit, who shares the record of five IPL titles, became the first current Indian captain to play under a home-grown team-mate. The sole exception occurred when MS Dhoni, then the captain of India's white-ball team, played as a player for Rising Pune Supergiant under Australian Steve Smith during IPL 2017.
Where does MI stand? MI's young players Vishnu Vinod, Kumar Kartikeya, and Akash Madhwal shared a video of Rohit's first practice with the squad ahead of IPL 2024, expressing their excitement about his return.
Pandya admitted that he faced a backlash from fans for leaving Gujarat Titans to captain Mumbai Indians instead of Rohit.
Mumbai Indians take on Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 24.