Former Indian cricketers and Mumbai Indians teammates Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu expressed disbelief at the situation unfolding in the MI dugout.
The duo, currently on Hindi commentary duty with Star Sports, criticized the Mumbai players for their treatment of skipper Hardik Pandya. Their remarks followed Mumbai’s third consecutive defeat of the season against Rajasthan Royals.
Harbhajan Singh Revealed Shocking Details Of MI’s Dressing Room
The Mumbai Indians were expected to perform well in their first match at the Wankhede Stadium, but they were disappointed with a poor showing. Captain Hardik Pandya, in particular, faced criticism on social media. Despite winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Mumbai’s top-order collapsed, with Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, and Dewald Brevis all getting out for ducks to Rajasthan’s Trent Boult.
After the initial three dismissals, Ishan Kishan fell for 16 runs, leaving MI struggling at 20/4. Skipper Hardik Pandya then partnered with Tilak Varma to build a 56-run stand before Pandya was bowled by RR leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for 34 off 21 balls.
Subsequently, Piyush Chawla was dismissed for 3, Varma departed after a hard-fought 32, and Gerald Coetzee got out without scoring. Tim David was the ninth wicket to fall, scoring 17 off 24 balls in the 18th over. MI was eventually all out for 125 runs.
In reply, Rajasthan Royals chased down the target within the 16th over, winning the match by 6 wickets. After the match ended, Hardik Pandya, clearly distressed, was spotted sitting alone in the MI dugout. There was no one accompanying him, neither a senior player, a youngster, nor anyone from the coaching staff. This suggests there’s significant tension within the MI dressing room, which Harbhajan Singh believes is unfair.
“The visuals are not looking good. He has been left alone. The players of the franchise should accept him as their captain. The decision has been made and the team should stick together. The situation is not looking good.”
Ambati Rayudu, who was part of the IPL-winning Mumbai Indians team until the 2017 season, believes that some players in the dressing room are not allowing Hardik Pandya to perform his role freely. Rayudu criticized the senior players of the team, suggesting that they were causing confusion with their plans and creating a difficult situation for Pandya. Rayudu said:
“I don’t know whether it is intentional or unintentional. But there are a lot of people in the team who are making him confused. The big personalities in the dressing room are not allowing him to work freely as a captain. This is not the good situation to be in for any captain.”
