After twice failing to reach the playoffs in the last three seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Mumbai Indians aimed to look at the future by shockingly removing Rohit Sharma from captaincy earlier in December last year and named Hardik Pandya as his replacement. With Rohit released from the burden of captaincy, he was expected to return to his daunting best, which he has lacked over the last few IPL seasons. Moreover, Jasprit Bumrah returned to the squad after missing the 2023 season due to an injury. Despite all, Mumbai’s fate remained unchanged in 2024.
Amid rising criticism over Hardik’s captaincy, brutal reactions from the spectators at each of the venues and an inconsistent show from most of the first-choice players, Mumbai finished bottom of the table in IPL 2024 with just four wins in 14 matches.
On Friday, after the loss against Lucknow Super Giants in their final league match, at the Wankhede Stadium, franchise owner Nita Ambani addressed the team. She labelled the 2024 season a “disappointing” campaign and admitted that there would be a performance review before the franchise looks ahead towards the mega auction for the 2025 season. She also namedropped Rohit and Hardik in the dressing-room message before saying that wearing the MI jersey is a privilege.
“Disappointing season for all of us. Things didn’t go the way we wanted them to, but I’m still a huge Mumbai Indians fan. Not just an owner. I think to wear the Mumbai Indians jersey is a huge honour and a privilege, and to be associated with Mumbai Indians, for me, is an honour and a privilege. I think, we will go back, review and think about it,” Ambani said.
The 60-year-old also wished MI’s T20 World Cup-bound players all the luck for the big tournament which will begin from June 1 onwards in the West Indies and the USA.
To Rohit, Hardik, Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) and (Jasprit) Bumrah, I think, all Indians are cheering for you. We wish you all the best,” she added.
It is yet to be seen what the future holds for Rohit in the franchise, which will remain the biggest talking point for Mumbai Indians in the build-up towards the mega auction for the next season. Speculations are rife that the former captain might have played his final IPL match for MI on Friday against LSG, which is why the fans at the Wankhede gave him a standing ovation following his dismissal after a fiery half-century.
MI are also to discuss whether they would want to retain Hardik as the captain after a horror IPL 2024 season. The all-rounder was expected to emulate his Gujarat Titans performance where he led the franchise to back-to-back finals, including a win in 2022. However, Hardik was criticised for his poor on-field calls besides his below-par performance with the bat and ball.
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
