A rift might be brewing within the Mumbai Indians camp as veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi indirectly took a jab at captain Hardik Pandya's leadership on social media.
Nabi shared a cryptic post on his Instagram story from an Afghan fan questioning Pandya's tactics, particularly the decision to not utilize Nabi's bowling during their recent match against Punjab Kings, which he later deleted.
The fan lauded Nabi's fielding efforts but expressed surprise at him not being given a chance with the ball. "Some of your captain's decisions are very strange and surprise people!? Nabi didn't bowl today!" The fan wrote.
This indirect criticism comes amidst Mumbai Indians' struggles in the ongoing IPL season. The five-time champions currently sit at a disappointing seventh place in the points table, managing only three wins in seven matches.
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Nabi's bowling statistics suggest he could be contributing more. Across his four appearances against Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Punjab, he has only bowled six overs. However, his economy rate has been impressive, conceding just 7 runs in his first over against RCB and maintaining a rate of 6.33 against CSK.
Nabi's IPL career economy rate is 7.14, a good mark in a batsman-dominated format. This lack of playing time isn't new for him. He's never played more than eight games in a season, which he achieved with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019. Since then, he's played only seven games (once in 2020 and thrice in 2021), missing the entire 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The Mumbai Indians, five-time IPL champions, boast a deep squad. Utilizing all available resources effectively could be key to their success.
