Rohit Sharma fans bring down Hardik Pandya's poster at Mukesh Patel College in Mumbai

Since Hardik Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction and replaced Rohit Sharma as captain, the latter's fans have protested in unison. Recently, Rohit's fans forced the authorities to remove Hardik's poster from a college in Mumbai.

The star all-rounder was traded in from Gujarat Titans by the five-time champions ahead of the IPL 2024 auction and subsequently named as the new captain, replacing Rohit Sharma. This decision hurt the sentiments of Rohit's fans as he has helped Mumbai win five titles and is also leading the Indian team in all three formats.

Hardik was recently invited to Mukesh Patel College in Mumbai for an event. The college management arranged a huge poster of the Baroda all-rounder, portraying him as the Mumbai Indians captain. However, students, who were die-hard Rohit fans, expressed their discontent at Hardik being invited and forced the management to remove Hardik's poster.

This shocking incident is the latest in the series of protests that are being undertaken by the Rohit faithful. They have not only expressed their displeasure with Mumbai's decision to relieve Rohit of captaincy duties on social media but have also come out on the streets in the past, brandishing placards with slogans demanding Rohit's reappointment as the skipper of the Mumbai-based franchise.

Hardik will be returning to Mumbai after leading Gujarat Titans in the last couple of seasons. Under his leadership, the Titans won the final in their debut season in 2022 before finishing runners-up last year. The 30-year-old has also led the Indian team in the T20 format in the absence of Rohit.

Hardik suffered an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup 2023 and has not played any international games since then. However, he returned to competitive cricket on Monday, February 26, in the DY Patil T20 Cup in Mumbai. Hardik bagged two wickets, conceding 22 runs in three overs. He came out to bat at No.10 and remained unbeaten on 3 off four balls as his team, Reliance 1, got the better of Bharat Petroleum Corporation by two wickets.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya returns to action after injury break, leads Reliance 1 in DY Patil T20 Cup