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‘I Am Hoping’: Former Indian Cricketer Wants Hardik Pandya to Be Booed at Ahmedabad
This former Indian cricketer hopes Hardik Pandya gets booed by the crowd at Ahmedabad.
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League will begin on March 22 with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore taking on each other in the opening clash of the game. However, it is the second match that is going to grab a lot of eyeballs, as Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians will meet for a high-profile clash in Ahmedabad.
The major reason behind the hype and excitement surrounding the clash scheduled for Saturday, March 23, 2024, is Hardik Pandya. After guiding Gujarat Titans to their debut IPL title in 2022 and another final in IPL 2024, Pandya was acquired back by Mumbai Indians in December 2023, in an all-cash deal with the Titans.
A part of this deal was captaincy, as Pandya who earlier led Gujarat in IPL 2022 and IPL 2023 seasons, was announced as the replacement of Rohit Sharma for the captaincy position of Mumbai Indians.
Hardik will now be facing his former team in their home ground and former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra hopes he is booed in the Narendra Modi Stadium by the crowd, who were left disappointed with Pandya’s departure to Mumbai. 
Sharing his past experience, Aakash revealed that in the first season of IPL, a player was booed by the crowd for playing against the team that represented his regional state. Chopra further added that he won’t be surprised to see Pandya receiving the same treatment.
Speaking during the schedule announcement on Jio Cinema, Chopra said, “I want Hardik Pandya to get booed in Ahmedabad. I'll tell you why. First IPL season, Mumbai vs Kolkata. We were playing at the Wankhede Stadium. Ajit Agarkar was in our team and we had to take him off the boundary because he was Mumbai's boy, playing against Mumbai, in Mumbai and getting booed by the Wankhede crowd. So we put him back inside the circle because it was not nice.”
Adding to it, he said, “Now Hardik Pandya goes to Mumbai after winning the championship once, leading the team to the final the next time. And not just that but choosing to leave the franchise. If there isn't any heartburn in the public of Ahmedabad, if they don't feel hurt, where is the fun? I am expecting. No, I am hoping – don't tell anyone – that Hardik goes for the toss and people go 'Boo'. That's where the league matures.”
Mumbai Indians have a total of 5 IPL titles to their name, the highest by any IPL team- a record they jointly share with MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. However, their last title came in the year 2020, post which they had three consecutive seasons without winning an IPL trophy.
At the same time, as per Mumbai Indians management, the transition of captaincy was inspired by Rohit Sharma already having the responsibility of Team India’s captaincy in all three formats, over his shoulders, at the age of 36.
In order to allow him to play more freely as a batter, the decision to bring a change in the leadership of the team was taken by the team. The decision invited a lot of resentment from fans, who criticized the team as well as Hardik Pandya for making the move.
ALSO READ: IPL 2024: Check Out the Full IPL Schedule, Teams, Venues, Players and Time Table
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