Where there’s smoke, there is fire. Last Indian Premier League (IPL) season, there were rumours that there was some smoke inside the Mumbai Indians (MI) dressing room. It turns out there was indeed some fire as well. It all started with the return of the prodigal son, Hardik Pandya. People were taken aback. But it wasn’t just that the all-rounder had returned; he had come to take over from Rohit Sharma as the captain.
Factions inside Mumbai Indians dressing room
The man who got them not one or two but five IPL titles was moved on from. The decision didn’t sit well with many in the squad. There were rumours of a rift between players. Two factions were created inside the MI dressing room. Allegedly, some took Rohit Sharma’s side and others Hardik Pandya’s.
Team and crowd turns on Hardik Pandya
The result was there for everyone to see. Not only did the Mumbai Indians finish dead last, but they also never looked like a unit. Rohit looked shocked taking instructions from the all-rounder who he’d captained in his formative years. Fans were booing Hardik at every ground, including the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai’s home.
People expected some sort of appeal from Rohit Sharma, telling his home crowd to simmer down. But no such thing happened. Everyone believed that a war was waging inside the dressing room but had nothing to prove it. It turns out factions were created, and senior players had issues.
Mumbai Indians owners warn players before IPL 2025
Recently, Mumbai Indians owners called a special meeting to warn ‘main players’ to not undermine their captain, Hardik Pandya. With a little over two months left before the IPL 2025 season starts, MI owners decided to lay down the law. Making Hardik the captain wasn’t something players could agree upon; the think tank has made the decision, and they have to abide by it.
“Undermining a captain’s leadership abilities—particularly in a high-profile franchise like Mumbai Indians—can have a long-term effect on the team’s overall performance and cohesion. It could also contribute to the boardroom battles we’ve seen regarding Hardik’s captaincy potential for India. If there was a sense within the squad that Hardik was not the right leader, it could have led to tensions and divisions,” BCCI sources told CricBlogger.
Mumbai Indians squad for IPL 2025
Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz (wk), Karn Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Shrijith Krishnan, Raj Angad Bawa, Satanyarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, Vignesh Puthur
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