Hardik Pandya Gets Booed By Mumbai Crowd, Sanjay Manjrekar Asks Fans To ‘Behave’

Mumbai: Hardik Pandya’s homecoming as Mumbai Indians captain turned sour as a section of the Wankhede Stadium crowd booed their new leader, instead showering former skipper Rohit Sharma with cheers. The pro-Rohit chants were evident even before the match, with fans queuing outside to voice their displeasure with the captaincy change.

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The fan rivalry has escalated since the change in Mumbai Indians’ leadership, leading to a disheartening situation where Pandya was subjected to boos while his predecessor, Rohit Sharma, received overwhelming support. The chants for Sharma reverberated outside the stadium hours before the match, indicating the intensity of the sentiments among the spectators.

The animosity surrounding the captaincy change reached a point where R Ashwin felt compelled to urge fans to show respect towards Pandya as a fellow Indian player, emphasizing the need for sportsmanship and unity.

During the toss, commentator Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his surprise and disappointment at the crowd’s behaviour, urging them to “behave.” However, despite the overwhelming support for Sharma, the cricketing icon faced an early dismissal, getting out for a first-ball duck, marking a rare occurrence in IPL history, only the fifth time for Sharma.