Did Hardik Pandya’s return ‘hurt’ Jasprit Bumrah’s ego? Will Mumbai Indians witness a war for captaincy? K Srikkanth drops his two cents
Another day, another theory has been presented about the historic trade deal involving Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder’s move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians has gotten the fans buzzing, with rumours doing rounds aplenty. Ranging from the fee that he would receive to whether he would be made captain or not, fans and former cricketers have been dropping their two cents, some of which could make sense while others may not.
Bumrah’s ego ‘hurt’ by Hardik Pandya’s trade to MI?
Throwing his hat into the ring, former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srrikanth added another dimension to the Hardik Pandya’s trade. The World Cup winner attempted to link HP’s transfer to MI to Jasprit Bumrah and how it could have potentially ‘hurt’ the pacer. Talking about the deal on his YouTube channel with his son Aniruda, Srikkanth elaborated on how the pacer was expecting to become MI’s next skipper after Rohit Sharma but was cut out of the race after Pandya’s transfer.
“He is the best bowler in the world. Whether is Tests or white-ball cricket. He literally put his life on the line for India at the World Cup. He was the stand-in captain for India in the 5th Test against England in 2022. How must he be feeling? You can call it anger, ego. He would have been hurt, is the right thing to say. Either his ego is hurt or he is generally hurt. He must be thinking ‘I have been performing for the team for so long and how you have deceived me and gone instead for a left the team earlier and is now making a comeback’. He feels that things are not fair for him“, K Srikkanth told his son in a video.
Srikkanth further opined that the team management (MI) would sit down and ‘sort things out’ between Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Lavishing praise on Bumrah, Srikkanth speculated that the pacer was ‘hurt’ by the trade deal, referring to the cryptic posts put out by him on social media.
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Jasprit Bumrah’s ‘silent’ cryptic post
A day after Hardik Pandya, announced his return to the franchise, their spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah, joined the social media speculation party. Unlike Pandya’s post online, Bumrah posted a cryptic message on his Instagram account.
Bumrah posted a story on his account with the quote, “SILENCE is sometimes the best answer.”
What makes this cryptic post from the spearhead interesting is that it coincides with Pandya’s return to the franchise after two years. One can only speculate that this is regarding the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians. Although skipper Rohit Sharma is one of the most successful captains in IPL history, the end of his career is close. The 37-year-old will potentially lead MI in IPL 2024, but who will helm the leadership after that?
Pandya’s return to the captaincy fray at MI after leaving for the Gujarat Titans two years ago may have rubbed Bumrah the wrong way. The pacer may feel that the leadership role was his after Rohit eventually stepped down, but Pandya’s return may have changed his and the Mumbai Indian’s minds about who gets to be the new skipper.
