Achi news desk-
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most famous and profitable sports leagues in the world. And history suggests that when something gets that big, it’s bound to attract controversy. From the 2008 wicket-slapping incident involving Harbhajan Singh and S. Sreesanth, to the ‘No Dada No KKR’ movement in 2011, SRK’s Wankhede ban in 2012, to Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) being suspended for 2 seasons in 2015, the marquee event has never Was far from the news or lacking spice.
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This year was no different; As the Hardik saga took the entertainment quotient to a whole new level.
It all started in November 2023 when five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) successfully offloaded Pandya from Gujarat Titans (GT) in an all-cash deal.
But what created waves across the Indian cricket community was the franchise’s announcement in mid-December of Hardik Pandya replacing the most successful and popular captain Rohit Sharma for the 2024 edition.
In some sections of the media it was reported that Hardick’s precondition for the transfer was captaincy which made the situation worse.
We still don’t know if that was true.
In the current edition, MI had a nightmare start to their campaign, something they are used to. But what grabs the headlines are the ‘boos’ and ‘abuses’ that Hardik receives wherever the franchise plays.
To put things in perspective, Hardik had an enviable record in GT as captain. He took the franchise to back-to-back IPL finals, having won the first one. His calm captaincy style and ability to take the team together was much appreciated by Test cricketers and the public alike. So what went wrong to really rouse the entire nation against such a talented cricketer?
Apparently, it wasn’t the transfer of the franchise that hurt the fans. But it’s the sudden change in MI leadership and the way it’s been done that hasn’t gone too well for them.
Rohit Sharma is not an average cricketer we are talking about. He is a giant of Indian cricket who has stood tall and made an incredible impact especially in white ball cricket in the last decade. He is equivalent to King Kohli if averages and hundreds are taken out of the equation. He always made up for his average form with his gifted hitting, smooth timing and lethal power shots.
His captain is not far behind, with a record of over 75% wins in both formats of the white ball. His witty one-liners, funny digs, laugh-out-loud recordings, banter in the Tapuri style and light press conferences have created for him a huge fan base that extends over the entire country.
It still lives in the memories of Indian fans in how brilliantly he led India to a dream ODI World Cup final in 2023.
Thanks to a remarkably balanced side and not so much a terribly bad day in the final, India only faltered at the last hurdle. Tears of heartbreak flowed from Rohit’s eyes after the loss, but his determined captaincy and bold batting won everyone’s hearts.
Back to the Hardik saga. We have to remember that cricket is in a very different league representing your country.
The franchises paid a fortune to bring in the best talent from around the world. Regardless of reactions, feelings, they have every right to elevate anyone as a captain keeping in mind the greater interest of the team and its future.
Rohit’s batting still looks good at 36 but whether we like it or not, age is not on his side.
Hardik has that at 30 and has perhaps shown a clear road map to the MI management to steer the ship for the coming years, subject to fitness and fitness.
There is nothing questionable about it. Where they could have done better was communication and execution. If MI had made plans to elevate Hardik, they could have replaced Bumrah with Hardik as the vice-captain for the current season, lined him up under the senior pro and gradually made the transition.
This would have largely controlled the damage as the message of inevitable change would have gone through to the fans. Something Chennai Super Kings were smart enough to do.
But the way things unfolded only made Hardik look like a determined underperformer who abandoned his current franchise and ousted a seasoned veteran, which may not have been the real case.
Right now, things are looking pretty bleak for the Indian motorcycle. But as they say, both good and bad times don’t last long. Let’s hope the Mumbai Indians get back to their winning ways and Hardik starts performing because that’s the only way these “boos” will ever stop. I wish him only the best!!!
