Rohit Sharma had a chat with KKR’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, which seemed to suggest all is not well at Mumbai Indians.
Mumbai Indians have had a forgettable IPL 2024. Months before the start of the season, the franchise was amid controversies following the appointment of Hardik Pandya as its new captain, replacing five-time title-winning skipper Rohit Sharma. The franchise’s own fans were displeased with the move, too, and booed Hardik in the opening few matches of the season. The reception for Hardik was similar at other stadiums, too, as MI faced fan anger over the unceremonious removal of Rohit as their skipper.
Rohit Sharma talks to Abhishek Nayar ahead of KKR vs MI match in IPL 2024(X)
Consequently, the performances suffered as MI failed to step up as a unit, becoming the first to be eliminated from the playoffs race earlier this week. But, if you thought that’d be the end of MI’s chapter this season, you couldn’t have been more wrong. Ahead of the side’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders, a video featuring Rohit Sharma and KKR’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has spread like wildfire, potentially exposing the former’s displeasure at how things panned out at Mumbai Indians over the past few months.
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While Rohit didn’t namedrop his franchise, his words seemed to suggest he was talking about MI. “Ek ek cheez change ho raha hai… (Everything is changing one by one). Woh unke upar hai, main ye sab pe dhyaan nahi data… (It depends on them, I don’t care about that),” Rohit could be heard telling Nayar in the backdrop of consistent fan chanting.
“Jo bhi hai woh mera ghar hai bhai, woh temple jo hai na maine banwaya hai. (Whatever it is, it’s my home. It’s a temple that I’ve built),” Rohit would tell Nayar further, suggesting it’s indeed Mumbai Indians that the franchise’s former skipper must be talking about. Fans also claimed they heard Rohit finishing the chat with “Bhai mera kya, mera toh last hai (Anyway, this is my last),”; however, the audio is unclear.
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Earlier this week, a report also mentioned that a number of MI’s senior players, including Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav, spoke up on the factors behind the side’s poor performances in the season during a team meeting. A select few players were also approached for one-on-one conversations with the higher management at MI to discuss the strategy and potential changes in approach for the franchise going forward.
KKR host MI
With the side already out of the race for playoffs, MI will play for pride when they take on the high-flying Knight Riders in Kolkata. KKR will have a chance to take a two-point lead over the Rajasthan Royals with a win on Saturday; they are currently level with Sanju Samson’s men but lead on net run rate.
Both, KKR and RR are almost assured of playoff spots in the season.
