"Not Hardik Pandya's Fault...:" Harbhajan Singh On MI's Captaincy decision

Former Indian legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh said that Mumbai Indians' decision to bring back all-rounder Hardik Pandya to the franchise as a captain backfired and the team failed to play good cricket throughout the season. The IPL 2024 season was one to forget for five-time champions MI. They brought back Hardik Pandya after a two-year stint with Gujarat Titans. Pandya led Gujarat Titans to the title in their debut season in 2022. The MI management decided to replace Rohit Sharma as a captain and it led to massive social media backlash for the franchise and the player.

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Hardik Pandya's poor stats in the IPL 2024

Pandya was booed in stadiums all over India during Mumbai's matches and the team finished at the bottom of the points table with only four wins. Pandya could not put on a single match-winning performance. In 14 matches, Pandya scored 216 runs at an average of 18.00 and a strike rate of 143.04, with the best score of 46. He also took 11 wickets at a poor average of 35.18 and an expensive economy rate of 10.75.

Former India and MI's spinner Harbhajan Singh said that the decision backfired and led to a lack of unity in the team. He also added that this decision could have been taken a year later. 

"MI has a big team. I have played for it. The management is great and runs the team well. But this decision has backfired. Maybe the thinking was to look for the future. It seems that it did not sit well with the team as they did not look united. It was bound to happen. It pains me to see such a big team, an old team of mine face such poor results. Maybe the timing of the decision was not right. It could have been better had this decision been taken a year later. It is not Hardik's fault, he was captaining well in GT. The duty of the senior players is to keep players united no matter who is the captain. Captains come and go. They did not play like a team," said Harbhajan to ANI.

#WATCH | On Hardik Pandya's captaining Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh says "I have played with Mumbai Indians for 10 years. The team management is great but this decision has backfired them. The management was thinking about the future while… pic.twitter.com/pGNW5gIRF5

— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2024

The fans will expect Pandya to become a different player for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. He has been announced as the vice-captain of the team for the tournament and will lead the team alongside Rohit Sharma. India is in Group A of the T20 World Cup alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, and co-hosts USA.

They will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, and then face Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue.