Delhi Capitals’ Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, asked fans not to boo their franchise captain Hardik Pandya, before their clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on April 6. Ganguly, the former India captain, also believes that fans should not compare Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians’ former captain, Rohit Sharma.

However, Hardik Pandya has been facing a lot of criticism and backlash from his own franchise’s fanbase, ever since he replaced Rohit Sharma in the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians side ahead of IPL 2024. Under him, Mumbai failed to do well so far in their IPL 2024 campaign, having lost all three of their matches played so far as well.

Mumbai Indians lost three matches played so far in IPL 2024

Adding to their poor form, Hardik Pandya has been on the receiving end of loud booing from fans as well. In their next fixture of the IPL 2024 against Delhi, Mumbai Indians will be hoping for the same scenario at their home ground, Wankhede Stadium as well.

However, speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Mumbai Indians game, Sourav Ganguly said, “Fans shouldn’t boo Hardik Pandya, it’s not correct. Rohit Sharma is a different class, his performance has been on a different level. But it’s not Hardik’s fault that he has been appointed as captain by the franchise.”

Sourav Ganguly also said that Rohit Sharma is of a different class both as captain and as a player as well.

“Mumbai is a good team. We expect them to play well” – Sourav Ganguly

“Obviously Rohit Sharma has a different class. His performance as a captain and player for the franchise and for India has been on a different level. It’s not Hardik’s fault that he has been appointed as captain. All of us need to understand that,” Ganguly said.

“Mumbai is a good team. We expect them to play well. They have been quality side for many years. T20 is a format where you can lose 2-3 games on the bounce. This is their home, a great venue. It’s gonna be a good game,” he concluded.