MCA Denies ‘Baseless’ Rumours of Giving Extra Security to Hardik Pandya During MI vs RR IPL Match

Cric News India IPL News 2025

March 31, 2024 0 984

Rumors of increased security to protect Hardik Pandya from the crowd at Wankhede were denied by the Maharashtra Cricket Association.

The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) has refuted rumors of increased security measures for Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya. Pandya has faced jeers and discriminatory chants from a section of the fans since he was appointed MI captain. These frustrations were amplified by Mumbai’s opening losses in IPL 2024 and Hardik’s animated behavior towards teammate Rohit Sharma.

Ahead of their first home game against the Rajasthan Royals, speculation arose regarding stricter security at the Wankhede Stadium. These rumors suggested that fans booing or criticizing Hardik Pandya would be banned from the venue.

The rumored report from Lokmat Marathi read, “MCA has bolstered security and will closely monitor the crowd during the match. Anyone caught harassing or trolling Pandya will be detained and potentially ejected from the stadium. Still, police have the considerable challenge of containing Pandya’s critics among the spectators before Mumbai’s first home game against the Rajasthan Royals.”

However, according to the most recent updates, a Mumbai Cricket Association official rejected these allegations as hearsay without any supporting evidence. Debunking earlier rumors, a report by the Hindu sports journalist clarified that the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) representatives have denied plans to increase security presence specifically to monitor fans during the upcoming match. The report read, “MCA officials have quashed speculative reports of deploying additional police force to keep a check on spectators heckling Hardik Pandya at MI’s first home on Monday.”

Meanwhile, trouble in the stadium or not, MI skipper Hardik Pandya is currently facing a lot of criticism for the two consecutive losses as the team currently sits at the bottom of the IPL points table. Hence, MI will be looking forward to salvaging their rankings as they face the Rajasthan Royals on April 1st.