The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most famous and profitable sports leagues in the world. And history is witness to the fact that when something grows this big, it is bound to attract controversies. From the slap gate incident of 2008 involving Harbhajan Singh and S. Sreesanth, to 'No Dada No KKR' movement in 2011, SRK's Wankhede ban in 2012, to the suspension of Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for 2 seasons in 2015, the marquee event has never been away from news or short on spice.
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This year hasn't been any different; as the Hardik saga has taken the entertainment quotient to a whole new level.
It all began in November 2023 when the five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) successfully traded Pandya from Gujarat Titans (GT) in an all-cash deal.
But what created ripples across the cricket community in India was the announcement by the franchise in mid-December of Hardik Pandya replacing the hugely successful and popular captain, Rohit Sharma, in the 2024 edition.
It was reported in some sections of the media that Hardik's precondition to the transfer was captaincy which made matters worse.
We still don’t know if it was true.
In the current edition, MI have had a nightmarish start to their campaign, something which they are used to. But what's grabbing headlines are the 'boos' & the 'abuses' Hardik is receiving at every venue where the franchise is playing.
To put things in perspective, Hardik had an enviable record at GT as a captain. He took the franchise to back-to-back IPL finals, having won the first. His relaxed style of captaincy and the ability to take the team along was widely appreciated by the cricketing pundits and the public alike. So then, what went wrong that has literally antagonized the whole of the nation against such a gifted cricketer?
Apparently, it's not the transfer of the franchise that has hurt the fans. But it's the sudden change in MI leadership and the way it was done that has not gone down too well with them.
Rohit Sharma is no average cricketer that we are talking about. He's a giant of Indian cricket who has stood tall and made an incredible impact especially in white ball cricket over the last decade. He's at par with King Kohli if averages and hundreds are taken out of the equation. He has always made up for his average fitness with his gifted batting, smooth timing and lethal power hitting.
His captaincy isn't far behind, with above 75%-win record in both the white ball formats. His witty one-liners, hilarious digs, jesty inputs, tapori style banters, and light-hearted press conferences have created a huge fan base for him that spans across the country.
It's still vivid in the memories of Indian fans how brilliantly he led India to a dream ODI World Cup final in 2023.
Thanks to a beautifully balanced side and not so much to a horrible bad day in the finals, India faltered only at the final hurdle. Tears of heartbreak rolled from Rohit's eyes after the loss, but his resolute captaincy and audacious batting won the hearts of all.
Back to the Hardik saga. We must remember that league cricket is very different from representing your country.
The franchises have paid a fortune to bring in the best of talents from around the world. Irrespective of the reactions, emotions, they have every right to elevate anyone as a captain keeping the larger interest of the team and its future in mind.
Rohit's batting still looks good at 36 but whether we like it or not, age isn't on his side.
Hardik has it as he is 30 and possibly showed a clear roadmap to the MI management to steer the ship for the next few years, subject to form and fitness.
There's nothing questionable in that. Where they could have done better was communication and execution. If MI had made plans for Hardik's elevation, they could have replaced Bumrah with Hardik as the vice captain for the current season, groomed him under the senior pro and gradually made the transition.
This would have largely controlled the damage as the message of an inevitable change would have gone to the fans. Something the Chennai Super Kings were smart enough to do.
But the way things panned out, only made Hardik look like an esurient underperformer who ditched his current franchise and dethroned a seasoned veteran, which might not be the real case.
At this moment, things look pretty bleak for the Indian all-rounder. But as they say, both good and bad times do not last long. Let's hope Mumbai Indians get back to their winning ways and Hardik starts performing because that's the only way these 'boos' are ever going to stop. Wishing him the best!!!