‘Mumbai Indians would release Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya’ – Parthiv Patel spills beans ahead of IPL 2024

Both Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya went on to play for India after their impressive performances in IPL with Mumbai Indians.

(From left) Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya.

New Delhi: Rohit Sharma is known as a player’s captain for the way he supports his teammates in bad times. Recently, former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel spilled the beans as Mumbai Indians had decided to release Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, the two crucial cogs of the Indian cricket team at the moment. Notably, both Bumrah and Pandya made their Mumbai Indians debuts under Rohit in 2014 and 2015 respectively. For those unfamiliar, Pandya replaced Rohit as captain of the Mumbai Indians for the upcoming IPL 2024, which starts on March 22.

Parthiv was part of the Mumbai Indians side (2015 to 2017) when the Bumrah and Pandya incident took place. Speaking to another former cricketer, Aakash Chopra, on Jio Cinema’s Legends Lounge Show, the former wicketkeeper talked about how Rohit stopped the duo’s release.

“Rohit is always with the players and the biggest examples of this are Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Bumrah first joined MI in 2014, but when he played his first season in 2015, things didn’t work out so well. It was like he was going to be released mid-season, but Rohit felt this player would shine and they should keep him. And you saw Bumrah’s performance reach the next level from 2016 onwards,” said Parthiv.

“The same goes for Hardik Pandya. When he joined in 2015 he went into quite a frenzy, but in 2016 he had a bad season. The thing is, if you are an uncapped player, franchises are quick to release you and then assess how a player performs in the Ranji Trophy or other domestic competitions before they might take him back. But Rohit didn’t let it happen. That’s why these guys became the players they became,” he added.

Not just Indian players, Rohit also supported England’s Jos Buttler during his tough times with the franchise. “When we talk about international players, I can talk about Jos Buttler. In the 2017 season, Rohit Sharma felt he could contribute more as an opener. So Rohit Sharma demoted himself and I opened with Jos Buttler,” the cricketer-turned-analyst added.

Meanwhile, Pandya grabbed most of the headlines during the IPL 2024 player auction in a high-profile transaction. Pandya, who moved from Mumbai Indians to Gujarat Titans in 2022, made a homecoming when he was traded in an all-cash deal worth Rs 15 crore in December.

He also expressed his excitement during Mumbai Indians’ first day of practice ahead of the upcoming season. “Day 1. So many emotions, so many memories. Seeing old friends and reliving the good old days. Excited for what lies ahead with this great team. Let’s get started @mumbaiindians,” read Pandya’s Instagram caption.