IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya Left Alone In Dugout After Mumbai Indians Suffer Crushing Defeat To RR
IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya faced a tough reception upon his return to the Wankhede Stadium on Monday night. The Mumbai Indians' captain, already under fire from fans in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, found himself amidst a chorus of boos from the home crowd. Sanjay Manjrekar even stepped in to support Pandya amid the relentless booing during toss.
Despite his efforts, Pandya failed to win over the fans, especially after Mumbai Indians suffered their third consecutive defeat in IPL 2024. As the match against the Rajasthan Royals ended, Pandya sat alone in the MI dugout, visibly distressed, with none of his teammates accompanying him.
The boos persisted throughout the match, amplifying Pandya's ordeal as Mumbai Indians put up a dismal batting performance against the Royals, resulting in their third consecutive loss in the IPL season.
After the match, Pandya shouldered the blame for Mumbai's defeat, acknowledging his dismissal as a turning point in the game. "Yes, a tough night," he said. "My wicket allowed them to get back more into the game. It's okay, we didn't expect such a surface, but you can't always have it as a batter."
Former India cricketers and Mumbai Indians teammates Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu expressed their dismay at the treatment of Pandya by his teammates. They criticized the players for leaving Pandya isolated in the dugout and emphasized the importance of standing united as a team.
¡°The visuals are not looking good. He has been left alone. The players of the franchise should accept him as their captain. The decision has been made and the team should stick together. The situation is not looking good,¡± ?Harbhajan said via Star Sports.?
?¡°I don¡¯t know whether it is intentional or unintentional. But there are a lot of people in the team who are making him confused. The big personalities in the dressing room are not allowing him to work freely as a captain. This is not the good situation to be in for any captain,¡± Rayudu said on Star Sports.
In their first home match at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Indians suffered a disappointing defeat despite winning the toss and opting to bat first. The top order collapsed dramatically, with key players falling cheaply to Trent Boult's bowling. Despite Pandya's efforts, Mumbai Indians could only muster a meager total of 125 runs, which Rajasthan Royals comfortably chased down, winning by 6 wickets within 16 overs.
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