Tension has reportedly arisen between Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma following Pandya’s transfer from the Gujarat Titans to the Mumbai Indians (MI). This shift also marked the conclusion of Rohit’s captaincy era, with Pandya succeeding him as the leader of the five-time champions, having previously steered the Titans to two IPL finals.
Hardik Pandya has unfollowed Rohit Sharma on social media
Recent reports suggest that something is wrong between Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma, with Pandya reportedly unfollowing Sharma on Instagram.
This development has caught the attention of fans and pundits alike, especially amidst discussions over the Mumbai Indians’ captaincy for the upcoming IPL 2024 season. Notably, this comes at a time when Pandya is diligently rehabilitating from an ankle injury, aiming for a full recovery.
The whole controversy started in November 2023, Mumbai Indians made a surprising move by trading Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans and naming him the new captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, who led the team to five IPL titles over a decade. This decision caused uproar among fans, especially when coach Mark Boucher defended it.

Mark Boucher revealed the reason behind Hardik replacing Rohit as MI’s captain
Mark Boucher explained that Mumbai Indians’ decision to appoint Hardik Pandya as captain was a strategic one made by the management. While acknowledging that it was purely based on cricketing reasons, he urged people not to be disheartened by Rohit Sharma’s loss of captaincy. Additionally, Boucher praised Rohit for his exceptional leadership during his time as captain. Speaking on the Smash Sports podcast, Mark said:
“I think it was purely a cricketing decision. We saw the window period to get Hardik back as a player. For me, it’s a transition phase. A lot of people don’t understand in India, people get quite emotional, but you know you take the emotions away from it. I think it’s just more of a cricketing decision that was made and I do think it is going to bring the best out of Rohit as a person as a player. Just let him go out and enjoy and score some good runs,”
He added: “One thing I did pick up with Ro (Rohit) is that he is a fantastic guy. I mean he’s been captaining for ages and he’s done really well for Mumbai Indians. Now he also leads India as well. It is that he walks into a place and there’s just cameras in it and he’s so busy and he hasn’t had probably the best couple of seasons of late with the bat but he’s done well as a captain.”
Rohit Sharma’s wife, Ritika also spoke out against the decision, adding to the controversy.
Reacting on Boucher’s video, Ritika had commented “so many things wrong with this.”
Earlier this year, India’s sensational pacer Jasprit Bumrah unfollowed Mumbai Indians’ social media accounts and shared vague messages, suggesting he was unhappy about Rohit Sharma losing the captaincy.