Cricket

Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants' disappointing IPL 2024 campaigns culminated on Friday with both teams failing to qualify for the playoffs. For Mumbai Indians, the removal of Rohit Sharma as captain cast a long shadow, while current skipper Hardik Pandya faced criticism from fans. Lucknow Super Giants, despite coming close to the playoffs, were marred by negative publicity surrounding an animated discussion between owner Sanjiv Goenka and skipper KL Rahul.In their final match, Lucknow Super Giants emerged victorious against Mumbai Indians. Post-match, Goenka engaged in a lengthy conversation with Rohit Sharma, sparking speculation about the latter's potential departure from Mumbai Indians.Rohit Sharma's performance in IPL 2024 fell short of expectations, but he remained focused on improving his game. Despite his struggles, he ended the tournament with a brilliant 38-ball 68. Overall, he amassed 417 runs in 14 innings, including a century and a fifty."As a batter, I know I didn't live up to the standard," Rohit admitted. "But I try to stay in a good mindset, in the right zone, keep practicing, and improve on all the flaws in my game."Mumbai Indians endured a dismal season, finishing at the bottom of the points table. "Our season didn't go according to plan," Rohit said. "We blame ourselves for this because we made too many mistakes during the season."Rohit Sharma's next assignment will be to lead India in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. India will face Bangladesh in a warm-up match on June 1 before opening their campaign against Ireland on June 5.

India's skipper Rohit Sharma has acknowledged his subpar batting performance in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Despite his struggles, Sharma emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and working on his flaws.During the second half of the season, Sharma endured a dismal run, failing to cross the 20-run mark in six consecutive matches for Mumbai Indians. However, he regained some form in their final match against Lucknow Super Giants, scoring a 38-ball 68. Despite his late resurgence, Mumbai finished the season at the bottom of the table."As a batter, I know I didn't live up to the standard," Sharma admitted. "But, after playing for all these years, I know that if I overthink, I won't play well."Sharma's focus has been on maintaining a positive mindset and continuing to practice. "All I try is to stay in a good mindset, in the right zone, keep practicing, and improve on all the flaws in my game. That's all I kept doing," he said.Despite Mumbai's disappointing season, Sharma believes the team made too many mistakes and lost games they should have won. "Our season didn't go according to plan. We blame ourselves for this because we made too many mistakes during the season. We lost many games that we should have won, but that's the nature of the IPL. You get a few chances and when those chances come, you must grab them."Looking ahead to the upcoming T20 World Cup, Sharma revealed that the Indian team had a clear idea of their squad composition and the roles of each player. "We thought a lot about the team we ultimately selected for the World Cup. The spinners, seamers, batters, and keepers, we knew before the IPL who we would take to the World Cup."Sharma emphasized the importance of providing clarity to players regarding their roles and responsibilities. "Everyone going into the IPL needed clarity of whether they would participate in the team and what their role would be so they could practice and play accordingly. All of these indicators we had shared with 70% of the team before the IPL."India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland in New York on June 5.

Rohit Sharma's scintillating performance in Mumbai Indians' final league match of the Indian Premier League 2024 against Lucknow Super Giants on Friday provided a glimmer of hope amidst a dismal season for the franchise. Despite his valiant efforts, MI succumbed to an 18-run defeat at Wankhede Stadium, marking the end of a disappointing campaign.Sharma's aggressive innings of 68 off 38 deliveries earned him a standing ovation as he left the field. His performance was a testament to his class and determination, even in the face of adversity. Following the match, MI shared a heartwarming video showcasing a special moment in the team's dressing room where Sharma was awarded a medal for his performance by team owner Nita Ambani, a gesture of appreciation for the former MI skipper.Earlier, after the season-ending defeat, Nita Ambani and Rohit Sharma were seen engaged in a deep conversation on the sidelines. Photos and videos of their discussion quickly went viral on social media, fueling speculation about the Indian cricket team captain's future with the franchise.The speculation surrounding Sharma's future at MI adds another layer of intrigue as fans eagerly await any announcements regarding potential changes within the team. With MI finishing at the bottom of the standings with just four points from 14 games, this season has been particularly tough for the franchise, marred by controversies and disappointing performances.Sharma's performance in the final match, coupled with the ongoing discussions with Nita Ambani, has sparked rumors about a possible change in leadership or even a trade to another team. However, no official announcements have been made, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai Indians' dismal IPL 2024 campaign reached a bitter end with a 10th defeat and a one-match ban for captain Hardik Pandya. The team's over-rate offense during their final match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Wankhede Stadium resulted in Pandya's suspension and a hefty fine of Rs 30 lakh.This marks the third over-rate offense for Mumbai Indians this season, leading to the severe punishment for Pandya. The rest of the playing XI, including the Impact Player, were also fined either Rs 12 lakh or 50% of their match fees.Pandya's suspension echoes a similar punishment faced by Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant earlier this week. Despite an appeal citing reasons for the delay, the decision was upheld.With the match against LSG being Mumbai Indians' last of the season, Pandya will likely miss the team's opening match of the next season as part of his punishment.The season has been a nightmare for the five-time champions, who managed to win only four of their 14 league matches, finishing at the bottom of the table. Their struggles culminated in their final match, where they failed to chase down LSG's target, ending their campaign on a disappointing note.

Mumbai Indians' disappointing IPL 2024 campaign, which culminated in a tenth-place finish, has been attributed to the negative fan reaction to the change in captaincy from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya, according to head coach Mark Boucher.The team's performance suffered as the crowd's disapproval of Pandya's leadership became evident. Boucher expressed sympathy for Pandya, acknowledging that the off-field distractions may have affected his on-field performances."It wasn't great hearing all the boos," Boucher said. "Certainly, I felt sorry for Hardik as well. It's never nice to go through something like that."Boucher admitted that the team's performance was below par and that changes need to be made. He emphasized the need to address both on-field and off-field issues to improve the team's performance in the future."There are certain things that did affect individuals, which ultimately did affect the team," Boucher said. "So those are the sort of things we need to sit down and address and hopefully make some good calls going forward as well to address the off-field stuff."Despite the challenges, Boucher believes that Pandya has the potential to be a successful captain. He highlighted Pandya's support within the dressing room and expressed confidence that he will learn from this experience."He certainly had a lot of support within our dressing room but it's a tough thing to go through as a player," Boucher said. "There's a lot of sympathy for what he's going through. A lot of the stuff he is going through is, I think, uncalled for."Regarding Rohit Sharma's future with the franchise, Boucher stated that no decision has been made. He emphasized that Sharma is in control of his own destiny and that the team will have to wait and see what happens in the upcoming auction.

Rohit Sharma's Audio Anxiety: Captain Requests Cameraman to Disable AudioIn a humorous turn of events, India captain and Mumbai Indians player Rohit Sharma has made a humble request to the official broadcaster's cameraman to disable the audio while recording his conversation with Dhawal Kulkarni. This incident comes just days after his intriguing chat with Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Abhishek Nayar went viral on social media.The new video has surfaced, showing Rohit making a funny appeal. "Bhai audio band karo haan. Ek audio ne mera wat laga diya. (Brother please close the audio, one audio has already made things difficult for me)," said Rohit in the clip recorded by Star Sports.The recent incident occurred when Rohit was engaged in a lighthearted chat with Kulkarni ahead of Mumbai Indians' IPL 2024 game against Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium.Earlier, during Mumbai Indians' IPL 2024 match against KKR at Eden Gardens, an interaction between Rohit and Nayar became a viral sensation. The video was reportedly deleted by KKR after it garnered unwanted attention, further fueling speculation.Despite the background noise in the viral video, social media users deciphered the conversation between Rohit and Nayar. "Ek ek cheez change ho raha hai...Woh unke upar hai...Jo bhi hai woh mera ghar hai bhai, woh temple jo hai na maine banwaya hai (Everything is changing one by one... It's on them... Whatever, but it's my home brother, it's the temple that I constructed)," Rohit was heard saying.It is noteworthy that Mumbai Indians replaced Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as their captain ahead of IPL 2024. Rohit, who led MI to all five of their IPL titles, passed the baton to Hardik after the player was traded from Gujarat Titans in November 2023.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul expressed his disappointment with the team's performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 despite their victory against Mumbai Indians in their final fixture. LSG ended the season with 14 points from 14 games, failing to qualify for the playoffs.Rahul acknowledged the team's strong start but attributed their struggles to injuries and a lack of collective performance. He praised the development of LSG's Indian pacers, highlighting the franchise's investment in their training.Reflecting on his own performance, Rahul admitted to learning valuable lessons about his batting and expressed a willingness to adjust his role in the team. He also discussed the team's batting order strategy, explaining the decision to have senior international players bat in positions where they could absorb pressure.Despite the disappointing season, Rahul remained optimistic about the future. He emphasized the importance of learning from the experience and looked forward to future opportunities in his cricketing career.

Mumbai Indians' dismal 2024 IPL season, which culminated in a second last-place finish in three years, has left captain Hardik Pandya deeply disappointed. The five-time champions, who also finished last in 2022, managed to win only four out of 14 games under Pandya's leadership.Reflecting on the season, Pandya acknowledged that the team's performance fell significantly short of expectations. "We did not play good quality cricket, eventually cost us the whole season," he said after MI's 18-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai. "It's a professional world. Have to always come out and put our best foot forward. But yes, as a group we could not play quality cricket or smart cricket."Pandya's return to the MI setup was met with much fanfare, but the team struggled to find consistency throughout the season. Injuries to key players, including Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer, further hampered their progress.Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul, whose team also finished out of the play-off zone, expressed similar disappointment. "Very disappointing. At the start of the season, I felt we had a very strong season and most bases covered. Couple of injuries happen but the guys who went away dented us a little bit," Rahul said, referring to the absence of Mayank Yadav.Rahul, who is not part of the Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup, remained non-committal on whether he would bat in the middle order in the future. "Maybe, maybe not, there's not much T20 cricket coming up [for me] now," he said. "It depends on where I stand and what I need to do to get back in the team, I'll think about what the team needs."As the dust settles on another disappointing season for Mumbai Indians, Pandya and his team will likely dissect what went wrong and look to make significant changes ahead of the 2025 IPL season.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) emerged victorious over Mumbai Indians (MI) in a high-scoring encounter at the Wankhede Stadium, but both teams were left with a sense of disappointment. LSG's 18-run win took them to 14 points, but their negative net run rate (-0.667) kept them out of the top four. MI, on the other hand, finished bottom of the points table with their tenth defeat of the season.LSG's innings was anchored by Nicholas Pooran's blistering 75 off 29 deliveries. With the top order struggling, Pooran's knock injected life into the innings against an inexperienced MI attack missing Jasprit Bumrah. KL Rahul also contributed with a steady 55.MI's chase started promisingly with Rohit Sharma smashing boundaries at will. However, the middle overs proved disastrous as they lost five wickets for 32 runs, effectively ending their hopes of a realistic chase. Rohit's 68 and Tilak Varma's 62* were in vain as LSG's bowlers, led by Ravi Bishnoi (2-37) and Avesh Khan (2-50), kept them at bay.The result marked a disappointing end to MI's season under new captain Hardik Pandya, who finished last for the second time in three seasons. LSG, despite their impressive win, will also miss out on the playoffs for the first time in their three-season history.