The temperature inside the Mumbai Indians' dressing room is gradually approaching boiling point after Sunrisers Hyderabad put an end to their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs. There was turmoil even before the season got underway due to the franchise's bold move to announce a change of guard.
The decision to take the reins of captaincy from Rohit Sharma and pass it on to Hardik Pandya didn't really go down well with many fans and they didn't shy away from making the decision makers and Hardik aware of their displeasure.
For the first time in IPL history, Mumbai Indians didn't enjoy the kind of fandom and support that they are habituated to. Things got worse for Hardik who was relentlessly booed at every venue and Wankhede, in particular.
The five-time IPL winners needed a fantastic start to the season but they lost their campaign opener at the hands of Gujarat Titans (GT) by six runs and things became pear-shaped from then onwards. The inability to find the winning combination and a few tactical blunders dented their run and the team is now out of the playoff race with still two games left in the season.
As per a report by The Indian Express, some of the senior players in the Mumbai Indians camp are uncertain of the team's future under the leadership of Hardik. These senior players have reportedly expressed their concerns to the Mumbai Indians coaching panel and things aren't looking encouraging to say the least.
Many argue that Hardik's decision to blame the ten-run loss against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Tilak Varma is what triggered some of the senior players in the camp. Notably, Hardik felt that Tilak should have taken his chances against Axar Patel as there was a favourable match-up (a left-arm orthodox bowler bowling to a southpaw) but he didn't.
"When Axar Patel was bowling to a left-hander (Tilak), the better option could have been to go after him," Hardik told the broadcasters after the game. "I think it was just a little game awareness that we missed out on. At the end of the day, that cost us the game."
