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[Saba Sports News] Hardik Pandya has faced significant backlash in recent months since being appointed as the new Mumbai Indians captain for IPL 2024, taking over from the esteemed Rohit Sharma.
During Mumbai Indians’ match against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Pandya was met with boos from fans as the five-time champions suffered a six-run defeat. Their woes continued on March 27 when they faced Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, marking their second consecutive loss in IPL 2024, this time by 31 runs.
A video capturing fans hurling bottles, shoes, and other objects at a giant screen during Pandya’s interview has circulated widely on social media.
In the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians opted to bowl first but struggled to contain Travis Head, who smashed 62 runs off just 24 balls on his Sunrisers debut. Mayank Agarwal faltered, but Abhishek Sharma’s impressive 63 off 23 balls bolstered the opposition’s total. South African duo Heinrich Klaasen and Aiden Markram then built a formidable 116-run partnership, with Klaasen remaining unbeaten on 80 off 34 balls, and Markram contributing 42 off 28 deliveries. Sunrisers set a daunting total of 277/3, surpassing Royal Challengers Bangalore’s highest team total in IPL history.
Despite a quick start from Ishan Kishan (34 off 13 balls) and aggressive knocks from Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir, Mumbai Indians fell short in their chase. Tilak Varma’s 64 off 34 balls provided some resistance, but Hyderabad ultimately secured a comfortable 31-run victory.