Former Indian Premier League winners Mumbai Indians (MI) endured a tough season, which saw them finish ninth in the table. The likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah failed to perform while Rohit Sharma’s injury during the key phase of the campaign also played a key role.

According to a report carried by the Times of India, MI’s management are worried about the leaks to the media about the happenings inside the dressing room. Hardik Pandya, as per reports, is all set to quit the side soon and look for a move elsewhere. The 32-year-old didn’t enjoy a great season as a skipper and also failed to do well with the bat and ball.

One source speaking to TOI said, “There are differences in every dressing room, but the differences and bitterness in the MI dressing room have been high since Hardik returned. It is quite easy to see what is happening, but for a team like Mumbai, which has always given value to its core group, this is a huge cause of concern as far as leaks are concerned.”

The source also added, “This very dressing room has seen many legendary names and various captaincy transitions over the years, and much more, but the situation has never been like this.”

Former champions facing testing times

After a tough season, the consensus is that the team will have a tough look at the campaign and make some huge calls. There is a belief that the cricket being played by the Men in Blue and Gold isn’t in sync with how the other sides are playing, and there is fear that the team is getting left behind. Mumbai under Pandya’s captaincy has made it to the IPL playoffs just once in three years.

The team management wants to put their house in order, and for that, they are looking to stop the dressing room information from being leaked. The unnamed source in his chat with Times of India also said, “Team management isn’t happy with this (leaks). Plenty of public drama has unfolded as far as players posting emojis on social media and such.”

“If players feel they can take the team for a ride, they are wrong. Priorities have to be right. Many players took too long to come back to the action, and it looked like most of the players were there to mark their attendance.”