Fan wars
The 30-year-old had another forgettable evening on Monday against Rajasthan Royals, even being jeered at the toss by home fans, prompting presenter Sanjay Manjrekar to call on them to “behave”.
But the crowd kept up their hostility towards Pandya throughout, with Rohit gesturing to the fans to stop at one point.
Pandya, who was once regarded as a possible successor to the ageing Rohit to captain India’s T20 team, admitted it was a “tough night”.
The tattooed star with his love for watches is still searching for a first win in charge at Mumbai, who are rooted to the foot of the 10-team table.
In their previous match, Mumbai’s bowlers conceded a league record 277 to Sunrisers Hyderabad as fans chanted Rohit’s name throughout.
Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle drew a comparison with football.
“What is happening with the IPL…is that the ‘clannishness’ has grown,” Bhogle told Indian website Cricbuzz.
“The more the rivalries are built up, the more people have something in it.”
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who plays for Rajasthan, said the fans needed to cool down.
“People should remember which country these players represent — it’s our country,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“Fan wars should never take such an ugly route.”
Chennai transition
He said IPL fans should look at how other countries behave.
“Have you seen, for instance, Joe Root and Zak Crawley fans have a fight?” he asked.
“Or Joe Root and Jos Buttler fans fight? It’s crazy. Do you see Steven Smith fans fighting with Pat Cummins fans in Australia?”
But in Chennai, the scenario is very different — with 42-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Dhoni guiding new captain Gaikwad from behind the stumps.
Dhoni led the team to a record-equalling fifth title last year and has now eased into the role of mentor and player.
The tournament holders won their opening two matches, before going down to Delhi Capitals, and Gaikwad has been lauded for his understated leadership.
“To transition into the job is not easy, but he’s done it seamlessly,” Chennai head coach Stephen Fleming said.
“We’re using M.S. (Dhoni) as well, still as part of the decision-making.”
