Hardik Pandya has become an unlikely target of fan discontent in the 2024 IPL season. The all-rounder has been booed by Mumbai Indians supporters in every game since taking over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma.
The leadership change, which saw a popular Rohit Sharma step down, has not been well received by a section of Mumbai fans. The team's poor performance under Pandya has further fueled the negativity.
Pandya's return to Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai's home ground, was met with loud boos, marking a rare instance of a local player facing such hostility from his own fanbase.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed surprise at the booing directed towards Pandya. During a conversation on the Club Prairie Fire podcast with Adam Gilchrist, Michael Vaughan voiced his astonishment regarding the booing incidents in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. He highlighted the unique reverence for cricket in India, where such behaviour is typically uncommon.
“The big debate is whether Rohit Sharma will end up back as captain. That has caused a lot of drama here in India. The booing… I have to say, the Indian crowd just loves cricket. I have never heard them boo. I’ve certainly never heard them boo one of their own. I get the booing when he played at (Ahmedabad) against the Gujarat Titans. He’s left them and joined Mumbai. He took them to a title. So I get that in a pantomime kind of way,” Vaughan said.
“But for him to go to Hyderabad and get booed and then come to Wankhede and get booed by the Mumbai Indians fans while he is playing for them, I’m staggered by it. I have never seen the Indian crowd boo one of their own. It’s remarkable,” he added.
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Responding to Vaughan, former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist pointed to Rohit Sharma's stature as a factor in the crowd's behaviour.
“It shows you the status that Rohit Sharma has in the game there. The mysterious manner with which it all played out initially, the pace with which it happened, everyone was stunned with Mumbai getting Hardik Pandya away from Gujarat and then Rohit relinquishing captaincy. It’s an odd one,” he said.
Gilchrist also highlighted the intense nature of IPL fan bases, drawing on his own experience of being booed during his ODI debut.
“But this is the nature of the beast in the IPL. The tribalism and intensity within fan bases. It’s hard to replicate anywhere else with that level of intensity,” former Australian wicketkeeper added.
Gilchrist also drew a parallel to his own experience, recalling being booed heavily during his ODI debut in Australia when he replaced the established Ian Healy. He expressed empathy for Pandya's current predicament.
With a captain facing fan disapproval and a team struggling for wins, the future remains uncertain for Mumbai Indians. Whether Pandya can silence the boos with improved performances or if the leadership question resurfaces remains to be seen.
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