MI vs RR: Wankhede crowd boos Hardik Pandya, Sanjay Manjrekar asks public to behave

Hardik Pandya has been the talk of the town for all the infamous reasons of late. Shortly after him taking over the captaincy reigns of Mumbai Indians from long-standing skipper Rohit Sharma, trolls and boos have come the new leader's way left, right, and centre. In the first couple of away games for Mumbai, the skipper got a lot of hatred from the crowd as well as on the social media platforms.

Playing their first home game of the Indian Premier League 2024 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, the five-time champions lost the toss to Rajasthan Royals, who in turn, chose to bat first. Meanwhile, a sea of Rohit Sharma fans at the home venue booed and heckled the Baroda-born. Interestingly, match presentor Sanjay Manjrekar asked the crowd to behave, the video of which went instantly viral on social media.

Also Read: IPL 2024: MCA denies rumours of extra security for Hardik Pandya at Wankhede

“We're all set for the toss. I've got the two captains with me — Hardik Pandya, the captain of Mumbai Indians. Big round of applause, ladies and gentlemen. Behave,” Manjrekar said at the toss.

Watch the viral moment here:

Speaking further of the toss, Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson called it correctly, and chose to bat first, thereby inviting the hosts to have a bowl. Addressing one change, Samson clarified that ace pacer Sandeep Sharma would not take a part in the game, owing to not being 100% fit for an outing. Hosts Mumbai, on the other hand, made one change, bringing in Uttarakhand pacer Akash Madhwal.

Watch Here: Rohit Sharma asks Wankhede crowd to not boo Hardik Pandya

Notably, it is to be understood that the crowd at the Wankhede share a special bond with Rohit, who served as the skipper of the home franchise, and also led them to a record five titles in 11 seasons as the mainstay skipper. Fans were divided on social media, when asked about leadership roles in the Mumbai-based franchise. While some fans reaped faith in Pandya's abilities as a potential long-term leader in future, Rohit's favouritism got the upper hand from some, and labelled the replacement of the Nagpur-born as senseless.