Mumbai Indians are struggling to shake off their reputation as slow starters. With back-to-back losses to in IPL 2024, MI sit at the bottom of the points table.
Despite narrowly losing to Gujarat Titans, expectations were that MI would bounce back against Sunrisers Hyderabad and continue their winning head-to-head record.
But the utter destruction that unfolded at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal took everyone by surprise. In a stunning display of power hitting, SRH batters tore through the MI bowlers, posting the highest total in IPL history at 277/3. Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen fueled the Sunrisers’ onslaught with their brutal batting.
Though Mumbai Indians pushed Sunrisers Hyderabad to their limits, they ultimately fell short by 31 runs in a high-scoring thriller. The match featured 38 sixes with balls constantly flying to all corners of the ground.
However, the most notable sight came after the match ended as ex-Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma engaged in an intense discussion with team owner Akash Ambani in the dugout, drawing everyone’s attention.
After finishing his post-match interview with Ian Bishop, Hardik Pandya headed to the Mumbai Indians dugout. There, Rohit Sharma, Akash Ambani, a staff member, and Tilak Varma were engaged in an intense discussion.
The conversation continued for some time before the unidentified staff member and Varma left. Rohit and Ambani then moved away from the dugout to another spot, where they were later joined by Pandya. The three of them carried on with their animated conversation.
The details of the conversation remain known only to those present. However, one thing is certain: the discussion concerned Mumbai Indians’ recent losing streak. When Hardik Pandya was appointed captain, the intent was to halt the franchise’s decline.
Mumbai Indians, accustomed to winning one IPL title every season between 2013-2020, have now gone three years without the trophy. As Hardik captained Gujarat Titans to a championship and second place finish in his first two seasons, he was expected to spur a revival at Mumbai Indians, but the turnaround has yet to materialize.