AB de Villiers expressed surprise at the negative reactions among fans regarding Hardik Pandya’s return as the team’s captain for IPL 2024, highlighting that supporters should be pleased to have him back.
Mumbai Indians announced Hardik Pandya as their captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League, following his trade from Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal. However, this decision faced backlash among fans. The franchise’s Twitter account witnessed a loss of 400,000 followers within an hour of the announcement, reflecting fans’ discontent.
READ MORE | Backlash and Disappointment: Fan Reactions to Rohit Sharma’s Removal as Mumbai Indians’ Skipper
When speaking on his YouTube channel, Former cricketer AB de Villiers expressed surprise at the negative reaction, mentioning Pandya’s previous association and success with Mumbai Indians. He found it puzzling that Mumbai Indians’ social platforms reportedly lost about 1 million followers due to the decision, deeming the strong reaction as unexpected.
“To be fair to Hardik, he was also a Mumbai boy by for a long time. He was always Mumbai boy from the start of his IPL career. He was with him when they lifted some trophies. I get your point that Surya and Bumrah sort of stayed loyal to the brand when Hardik decided to move on, if you wanna say that. But he’s back,” de Villiers said.
“And I think I find it quite strange that the reaction was pretty negative. I have been reading posts that said Mumbai Indians social platform lost like 1 million followers and people are upset,” he added.
De Villiers also advised fans to support Hardik’s return, highlighting his experience and growth as a player and potential captain. He urged Mumbai Indians’ supporters to welcome him warmly, emphasizing that if Pandya leads the team to success, fans won’t have any concerns about his captaincy.
“You should be happy about him coming back. I know he played two IPL seasons at the Gujarat Titans and won a trophy. They made the final in another. And now he wants to come back as a more experienced player, a more experienced captain. So I think you guys give him a bit of a boost, welcome him back in the Mumbai Indians camp. I’m pretty sure if he lifts a trophy with the rest of the team, you guys are not gonna have a problem with that,” he concluded.
READ MORE | Outrage Spreads: Mumbai Indians Fans Burn Jerseys over Hardik Pandya’s Captaincy
Last Updated on December 17, 2023
