The Mumbai Indians are currently in a tense situation as the 2024 league season progresses. The controversy ignited at the start of the season when Rohit Sharma was replaced as captain by Hardik Pandya. This decision stirred up a storm of criticism, with fans expressing their discontent on social media and even at the stadiums. During Mumbai Indians’ recent home game against Rajasthan Royals, Hardik was subjected to boos by the team’s supporters during the toss, reflecting the team’s struggle with three consecutive losses at the outset of the season.
As the only team in the league yet to secure a single win, the pressure is mounting on Hardik Pandya to lead the Mumbai Indians to success. Following their defeat to RR, former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary suggested the potential reinstatement of Rohit Sharma as the team’s captain. However, Virender Sehwag, another cricketing expert, disagreed with this notion. Sehwag pointed out that the Mumbai Indians have a history of slow starts, recalling a past season when the team under Rohit’s leadership faced five consecutive defeats before turning their campaign around to ultimately clinch the championship spot in the playoffs.
Sehwag emphasized the importance of being patient with Hardik Pandya, reminiscing about the team’s past triumph after a rocky start. These historical statistics indicate that Mumbai Indians have the resilience to bounce back from early setbacks, indicating that there is still hope for Hardik and his leadership.Being 0-3 down can be a challenging position for any team to be in. Former Indian cricketer, Virender Sehwag, expressed his concerns about how such a poor start might test the patience of the team management. He mentioned how some franchises, like Punjab and Chennai, have made captaincy changes mid-season in the past. For instance, Chennai handed over the captaincy to Jadeja before Dhoni took it back. However, Sehwag believes that Mumbai Indians (MI) should not be considering a captaincy switch at this stage. According to him, making such a change after just three games may not send the right message to the team. Instead, he suggests evaluating the team’s performance after seven games when the season is halfway through before making any decisions.
MI is not the only team struggling in the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Delhi Capitals (DC) have also had a rough start, managing to secure just one win out of their first four matches. Their recent game against Kolkata Knight Riders ended in a devastating loss, with DC conceding the second-highest total in IPL history (272/7). The match resulted in a significant 106-run defeat for the Capitals, adding to their early-season woes.
