Rift In MI Camp: Rohit Sharma Backed By Indian Players; Hardik Pandya Has Support Of Overseas Contingent, Says Report

The reports of rift between Mumbai Indians' (MI) former captain Rohit Sharma and current skipper Hardik Pandya have been doing the rounds for quite some time now. One more report in India Today says that Indian players within the MI setup want Rohit back as captain while the overseas players are happy with Hardik leading the team. Hardik was brought into MI setup last year in what is a record trade deal in IPL history. A few days later, Hardik was named as the captain of MI, much to the surprise of the fans. Rohit Sharma were so upset that started to unfollow MI across social media accounts. When the season began, fans booed Hardik, a trend which has still not stop across venues. The booes only got lounder when MI played at home.

Hardik's own poor form did not help and MI too did not look like the five-time champions despite such a star-studded team on paper. Experts had divided opinions on Hardik being named as captain. While some said that MI are right as they are looking for smooth transition of the side, others believed that the way the new captain was announced was not a good way.

AB de Villiers, former RCB and South Africa star, said that the style of Hardik's captaincy may not have worked well at MI where there are many senior players.

As per a report in India Today, the Hardik has a good rapport with the overseas players at MI. Recently Australia all-rounder Tim David was seen praising Hardik's leadership style. He had said, "Hardik was the glue that held us together and gave us a chance to play with freedom at the back end," the Australian had said. "Hardik has been phenomenal in the way he has been playing for the team."

Earlier, a Dainik Jagran report had made a startling revelation that before MI's match vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma left the nets as soon as Hardik walked in to bat.

The reports of infight within the MI camp spread like wildfire because neither Hardik or Rohit have come out in open with words which reflect that there is nothing wrong. MI, for sure, have a leadership issue right now as they are likely to finish the season at the bottom, havin won just 4 matches out of 13. They will be aiming for a win in their last league game on May 17 to finish the season on a high.