Hardik Pandya is facing a wave of negativity on social media, with criticism surrounding his captaincy decisions, alleged ignorance of former MI captain Rohit’s advice, and even an incident where he pushed away coach Lasith Malinga. Videos circulating online captured Pandya avoiding a hug from Malinga after Mumbai Indians’ loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, opting to shake hands with the opposition instead. Another incident showed Malinga giving up his seat in the dugout for Pandya without the latter intervening, sparking fan backlash. Despite the criticism, it’s common practice in cricket for players in the playing XI to be accommodated in the dugout comfortably.
In a recent match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians faced a record-breaking defeat as SRH achieved the highest-ever IPL total of 277 runs for 3 wickets. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma displayed exceptional power-hitting, with Sharma breaking the franchise record for the fastest fifty. Heinrich Klaasen’s unbeaten 80 off 34 balls further propelled SRH to surpass the previous IPL high score set by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2013. Mumbai’s bowlers struggled against SRH’s aggressive play but their batters showed resilience, putting up a commendable fight and ending at 246 for 5 in 20 overs. This defeat marks Mumbai Indians’ second consecutive loss in the season, adding to the pressure on Pandya to deliver strong performances both with the bat and ball, while addressing concerns about his captaincy decisions amid the trolling.
