Why are many Mumbai Indians fans unhappy with Hardik Pandya as the new captain?

If Hardik Pandya’s switch from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai Indians (MI) wasn't enough, his promotion as captain of MI, replacing Rohit Sharma, has irked many fans of the team.

Within 2 hours of the announcement, MI's social media following on the micro-blogging platform X (formerly Twitter) took a hit. MI has lost over 4 lakh followers since Rohit Sharma was replaced by Hardik Pandya as captain. MI's current following on X is at 8.2 million, previously standing at 8.6 million.

Several fans exhibited their discontent by burning MI jerseys to showcase their dissatisfaction over the decision.

Rohit Sharma is our Mumbai Indians Captain not Hardik Pandya 🥺💔

SNAKE MUMBAI INDIANS 🥺
Loyalty is Royalty 🙏#RohitSharma𓃵 #RohitSharma #IPL2024 #HardikPandya #MumbaiIndians #Hitman#IPL2024Auction #IPLAuction #JioCinema #Bumrah pic.twitter.com/iPSEnuXQlq

— Ashutosh Srivastava 🇮🇳 (@sri_ashutosh08) December 18, 2023

Even fellow player, Suryakumar Yadav had posted a cryptic post on Instagram, showing a broken-heart.

Why is Hardik Pandya not wanted by fans?

• Rohit Sharma has captained MI for the last 10 years, leading the team to 5 IPL trophies.
• Reports suggesting Pandya made his captaincy a condition to play for MI fueled the fans' displeasure, ending Sharma’s 10-year tenure as skipper.
• Fans blame Hardik Pandya for Rohit Sharma stepping down from the captaincy, further aggravating their resentment.

It’s unfortunate but #MumbaiIndians have made #HardikPandya bigger than the franchise.

• He left the franchise that gave him the first chance.

• Then he questioned MI’s culture and praised their biggest rival club.

• But still MI not only called him back but sacked their… pic.twitter.com/RJ6RhvbVGn

— Madhav Sharma (@HashTagCricket) December 16, 2023

• The 37-year-old cricketer had salvaged MI from the initial IPL chaos when the team failed to qualify for playoffs in the first two seasons. 
• Despite Sachin Tendulkar leading the team to the 2010 finals, they lost against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). 

What’s next for Rohit Sharma?

• Rohit Sharma, now 37, might have 2-3 years of cricket left in him. While Sharma remains with MI for this season, it's speculated to be his last with the team.
• Rumors also hint at a potential move to another team soon.
• Although Sharma hasn't commented, his wife Ritika Sajdeh’s ‘yellow heart’ Instagram comment has sparked speculation about Sharma's possible move to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) next year.

  

   

• This is possible as it coincides with MS Dhoni’s last season as CSK captain, and the franchise lacks a backup skipper.
• Sharma's potential shift to CSK makes sense given his success as the most accomplished IPL skipper.
• As for Hardik Pandya, his captaincy tenure will determine MI's performance.
• Pandya led GT to an IPL championship in its debut year and reached the finals in the second season.
• However, it might take a few more months before Pandya is fully embraced by MI fans.