Hardik Pandya’s debut for MI as their captain started on a sour note as the Mumbai Indians lost their IPL 2024 opening match to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24. This was a disappointing homecoming for the all-rounder.
Pandya won the IPL 2022 for GT and took GT to the final in IPL 2023. He was traded in from GT by MI ahead of the IPL 2024 auction for a record transfer fee. And then in an interesting decision, MI appointed Hardik Pandya as captain replacing Rohit Sharma despite his five IPL title wins.
But his return has begun on a poor note as MI crashed to a six-run defeat against GT. Things didn’t go as per plans for Hardik as GT defended 168 runs successfully, restricting MI to 162/9 and winning by 6 runs.
In the match, a lot of drama was also seen as Hardik was booed by the Ahmedabad crowd during the toss. During the first innings, there was a moment that caught everyone's attention. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik were caught up in an animated discussion, and just as Rohit arrived to join it, Hardik simply walked away.
Bumrah is seemingly taken aback by Hardik Pandya walking away and ignoring Rohit Sharma.
Here is the video:
Several other post-match visuals from the thrilling match between the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi International Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday have become popular on social media, with a few causing outrage among MI fans.
One such visual was an animated chat in the MI dugout between Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah in the presence of other MI players. While nothing was evident from the video on what the discussion was truly about, the video still went viral.
Check here:
