Reports: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah meet to discuss MI's performance under Hardik Pandya's captaincy

Senior players of the Mumbai Indians have turned sour, with reports emerging of serious discontent over Hardik Pandya's leadership in this season of IPL.

The five-time champions have gone through a disturbing campaign, becoming the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention after a string of defeats.

The crux of the problem appears to be Pandya's captaincy style and tactics, which have reportedly not gone down well with the senior members of the squad. According to reports in Indian Express, MI's senior pros, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav held a meeting following a recent loss to air their differences over the issues regarding the team's dismal performance.

While the details of the exact concerns remain private, one flashpoint was Pandya's public criticism of Tilak Varma after the defeat against Delhi Capitals. Despite Varma scoring a blistering 63 off 32 balls and being MI's top scorer this season with 384 runs, the newly appointed MI skipper blamed the loss on Varma's lack of game awareness for not targeting Axar Patel more.

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MI becomes first team to be eliminated from IPL 2024

For a team that has been accustomed to Rohit's laid-back but highly successful leadership for a decade, the transition to Pandya's more animated and critical approach seems to have caused friction. An MI official admitted these were regular teething problems when there is a change in leadership.

“These are regular teething problems for a team that sees leadership change. This happens in sports all the time,” the source said.

Also read: Mumbai Indians don't seem to be playing unitedly at all: Irfan Pathan

Mumbai's declining fortunes have been a major surprise, given their star-studded lineup. Having already eliminated from the IPL 2024 Playoffs' race, they are all but playing for pride in their final two matches against Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants.

The five-time champions will have to carefully consider who they want to retain in the next season. The side will look to come back strong in the eighteenth edition of the tournament.