MI will play under a new captain as all-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead the team in place of Rohit Sharma in IPL 2024. Indian cricket’s biggest carnival is back as the BCCI announced the Indian Premier League 2024 schedule. Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who are the joint most successful team in the tournament, will once again be the frontrunners to lift the trophy.
Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans for a whopping Rs 15 crore ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. MI had to release Cameron Green to execute the deal, while GT did not ask for any player in return by Pandya. Hardik had a dream career with the Titans as captain of the franchise and as captain he was able to win the IPL 2022 and reach the final in 2023.
Now Hardik Pandya travels to Mumbai after winning the championship: Aakash Chopra makes an interesting wish to the Ahmedabad audience
Coming to Mumbai Indians was also a homecoming for Hardik Pandya. The Indian all-rounder gained popularity due to his performance for MI and was a part of the franchise from 2015 to 2021. Pandya performed brilliantly in both IPL and Indian teams, for which he received a homecoming and will lead the team .
Mumbai Indians will play their opening match of IPL 2024 against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra wants Ahmedabad fans to boo Hardik when he leaves for the toss. Expressing his wish, Chopra said that he had seen something similar happen as a player in 2008 and that he would not be surprised if Hardik received the same treatment.
Speaking to Jio Cinema, he said, “I want Hardik Pandya to be booed in Ahmedabad. I’ll tell you why. First season of IPL, Mumbai vs Kolkata. We were playing at the Wankhede stadium. Ajit Agarkar was in our team and we had to take him out because he was the Mumbai boy, he was playing against Mumbai, in Mumbai and he was booed by the Wankhede crowd. “So we put him back in the circle because he wasn’t nice.”
Also, Aakash Chopra believes that Hardik Pandya had a successful campaign with the Gujarat Titans in the first two seasons. However, Chopra added that if the Ahmedabad audience is not harmed by Hardik’s exit from GT, where is the fun? He added that if GT fans express their disappointment with Hardik, this will be a time when the league will mature.
Aakash Chopra said, “Now Hardik Pandya is going to Mumbai after winning the championship once and taking the team to the final the next time. And not only that, but he chose to leave the franchise. If there is no heartburn in the Ahmedabad audience, if they don’t feel hurt, where is the fun? I’m waiting. No, I hope (don’t tell anyone) that Hardik takes the plunge and people say ‘Boo’. “That’s where the league matures.”
The BCCI has released the schedule for the first 17 days of the Indian Premier League 2024 on the occasion of the general elections in India. Additional dates will be released when the Election Commission of India releases the general election dates.