There were rumours of a strained relationship between the players during the last IPL season.
The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) is set to witness a mega-auction and two major Indian stars from Mumbai Indians (MI) are expected to part ways with the franchise.
A report in Dainik Jagran has claimed that their star batters Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav might consider a move away due to discord in the team after Pandya’s rise to captaincy and the disappointing season earlier this year.
There were also rumours of a strained relationship between Rohit and Pandya throughout the season.
Ever since Hardik took over the leadership responsibilities, Rohit Sharma’s future at Mumbai Indians has been a point of concern. The MI management removed him from captaincy and handed it over to Hardik Pandya, who returned after leading Gujarat Titans for two seasons.
Hardik Pandya will have a task cut-out for himself to make a place amongst the Mumbai fans, especially more if Rohit indeed leaves.
Rohit became the first captain to win five IPL titles while leading the Mumbai Indians, a record later matched by MS Dhoni of Chennai Super Kings. As a result, the decision to replace Rohit with Pandya faced severe criticism and backlash from the franchise’s fans.
Pandya was booed across India, including the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where fans expressed their frustration.
However, the rumoured tension between Pandya and Rohit seemed to disappear when they played together for Team India in the T20 World Cup 2024 last month.
The duo shared a water under-the-bridge moment after India’s World Cup-winning campaign. Rohit hugged Pandya, who bowled the last over in the final against South Africa and successfully defended 16 runs. Pandya played a crucial role in securing India’s second T20 World Cup win since 2007.
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