‘Mumbai Indians Were To Release Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya’ – Parthiv Patel Spills Beans Before IPL 2024
New Delhi: Rohit Sharma is known to be a player’s captain because the way he backs his teammates during bad times. Recently, former India cricketer Parthiv Patel spilled the beans when Mumbai Indians had decided to release Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, the two vital cogs of Indian cricket team currently. Notably, both Bumrah and Pandya made their Mumbai Indians debut under Rohit in 2014 and 2015 respectively. For the unversed, Pandya replaced Rohit as Mumbai Indians captain for the upcoming IPL 2024, that is set to start on March 22.
Parthiv was a part of the Mumbai Indians side (2015 to 2017) when the Bumrah and Pandya’s incident happened. Speaking to another former cricketer Aakash Chopra on Jio Cinema’s Legends Lounge Show, the former wicketkeeper spilled the beans how Rohit stopped the duo from being released.
“Rohit is always with the players and the biggest examples of it are Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Bumrah joined MI for the first time in 2014, but when he played his first season in 2015, it didn’t turn out that well. It was like that he was to be released mid-season but Rohit felt this is player is going to shine and that they should keep him. And you saw how from 2016, Bumrah’s performance reached the next level,” Parthiv said.
“Same with Hardik Pandya. When he joined in 2015, he became quite the rage but in 2016 he had a bad season. The thing is when you’re an uncapped player, franchises release you quickly and then assess how a player is performing in Ranji Trophy or other domestic matches before maybe taking them back. But Rohit did not let it happen. That’s why these guys went on to become the players that they did,” he added.
Not only Indian players, Rohit also backed England’s Jos Buttler during his tough times at the franchise. “Talking 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,” added the cricketer-turned-analyst.
Meanwhile, Pandya made most headlines during the IPL 2024 player’s auction in a high-profile trade. Pandya, who moved to Gujarat Titans from Mumbai Indians in 2022, made a homecoming when was traded in December in an Rs 15 crore all-cash deal.
He also expressed excitement during Mumbai Indians’ first day in 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’s ahead with this wonderful team. Let’s get down to business @mumbaiindians,” said Pandya’s Instagram caption.