Hardik Pandya must have thought his fortunes had finally turned for the better after his starring role in India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign.
The Indian all-rounder faced harsh criticism and ridicule during the IPL where he failed to impress as a captain as well as a player. He was also targeted by fans throughout the tournament for replacing Rohit Sharma as the captain of Mumbai Indians. After the nightmare in the IPL, Hardik Pandya managed to turn things around in the T20 World Cup.
He impressed with both bat and ball and helped India win the T20 World Cup after a gap of 17 long years. His brilliant performance at the marquee event made him the cynosure of the nation not too long ago. However, things are going downhill once again for this all-rounder.
Earlier this week, the BCCI confirmed that it will not replace Rohit Sharma as India’s captain in T20Is. Even though Pandya was the vice-captain during the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav has been given the responsibility of leading the team in the shortest format of the game. Not only that, Pandya has also lost the vice-captaincy of the team.
Will Hardik Pandya lose Mumbai Indians captaincy?
Things could go from bad to worse for Hardik Pandya in the coming months. According to a PTI report, things could get complicated for Mumbai Indians ahead of the upcoming IPL season. With a mega auction about to take place, the franchise would have to make several important decisions as they will have to take several important decisions.
While they will not face any major challenges in retaining Pandya, things will not be as straightforward when it comes to retaining the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah. Rohit could decide to leave the franchise after his unceremonious sacking as captain, while Suryakumar could ask for the captaincy after being named the Indian captain.
Bumrah also loves the role of a leader and Mumbai Indians are more than likely to go all out to retain him. All this could leave Pandya in a situation where he could lose the captaincy after just one season. Things did not go well on and off the field for Mumbai in IPL 2024 and the management will have to take some big decisions to set things right.